Question: Imagine this scenario: You are the manager of a department. Lately, your poorest performing staff member is having performance problems. How would you handle this?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Follow-up questions:

Please elaborate on the steps you will take.

Question Details:

Question Type:

Situational

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Social – Social Perceptiveness

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility)

Other Factors:

Management Level,Personality-Job Fit

Work Activity (Task):

Interacting with Others – Performance Management (Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates),Mental Processes – Judging the Value of Things, Services, or People,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),Analytical Thinking,Leadership/Command,Patience

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

The candidate’s management skills.
The candidate’s interpersonal skills.
The candidate’s motivating skills.

Red Flags to Watch For:

The candidate’s unprofessionalism in handling subordinates.
The candidate’s poor management skills

Sample Answer:

The first thing I would do in this situation is to talk to the employee concerned. Together with him/her we would identify areas for improvement and agree on target dates. It’s always important to do documentation when appraising performance. That way, everything is clear and recorded. I will also strictly monitor improvements and document them, as well, to motivate the employee to strive harder.

Question Source: Unknown