Question: Describe a time when you inherited a team or project group suffering from poor productivity or low morale. What was the scope of the project or work, and what did you do about it?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Follow-up questions:

What did you learn from that experience?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Basic – Monitoring (Making observations of self and environment),Social – Coordination (Adjusting one’s own actions in relation to others)

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility)

Other Factors:

Management Level,Personality-Job Fit,Personality-Organization Fit

Work Activity (Task):

Interacting with Others – Performance Management (Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates),Mental Processes – Thinking Creatively (Creativity),Work Output – Quality Improvement

Work Context (Person-Job/Team/Org Fit):

Interpersonal Relationships – Coordinate or Lead Others

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Achievement/Effort (Action/Result Orientation),Adaptability/Flexibility,Analytical Thinking,Patience,Persistence/Perseverance

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

The candidate’s flexibility when it comes to task assignment.
The candidate’s critical thinking skills.
The candidate’s management skills.

Red Flags to Watch For:

The candidate’s lack of flexibility when it comes to task assignment.
The candidate’s poor critical thinking skills.
The candidate’s poor management skills.

Sample Answer:

When I was assigned to this new business unit, the people’s productivity and morale were down because they didn’t have a leader at that time. The first thing I did was to meet with them and establish individual goals, aligned with the goals of our unit. I also encouraged them to participate more and approach me should they need mentoring. I management skills were really tested and I was happy with the remarkable turnaround.

Question Source: Unknown