Question: Describe a situation where you had to make an unpopular decision. How did you handle the stakeholders involved?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Tell me about an unpopular decision that you made recently. What was your thought process and how did you deal with reactions from your colleagues or clients?

Follow-up questions:

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Basic – Science and Logic,Social – Persuasion,Social – Rapport Buiding/Relating and Connecting with others,Systems – Judgment and Decision Making,Systems Analysis,Systems Evaluation

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility),Cognitive – Flexibility of Closure (Pattern Detection),Cognitive – Originality

Other Factors:

Big 5 – Agreeableness,Big 5 – Neuroticism (Emotion Regulation),Self-Awareness

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Estimating Characteristics of Objects, Events, or Information,Interacting with Others – Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates,Interacting with Others – Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships,Mental Processes – Developing Objectives and Strategies,Mental Processes – Making Decisions and Solving Problems

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

Interpersonal Relationships – Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People,Interpersonal Relationships – Frequency of Conflict Situations,Job Structure – Freedom to Make Decisions,Job Structure – Level of Responsibility (Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Organization Results),Job Structure – Structured versus Unstructured Work

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Adaptability/Flexibility,Assertiveness/Courage,Compassion/Concern for Others,Handling Ambiguity,Persistence/Perseverance,Self Control,Stress Tolerance

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

You are looking for candidates critical thinking skills and ability to handle stressful situations.
If the candidate effectively approached the challenge and weighed the options to reach the decision.
You are looking for how flexible the candidate is and how they navigate through changes.
You are looking for the candidate’s thought process here.
You are looking for the candidate’s courage to face difficult situations and handling them respectfully.

Red Flags to Watch For:

If the decision wasn’t made after weighing through the options.
If the candidate blames stakeholders for not being co-operative and focusses more on why there was problem rather than finding a collaboration.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: Unknown