Team Work Situations Questions & Answers

After you have served two years as manager of the sales team, the director of your company appoints a new deputy manager. Although you have been able to work together, your impressions of her are negative - you find her arrogant and disloyal.
The director has now considered sending her on a course that would create an opportunity for her relocation to a different position within the company. However, it would also speed up her promotion.

What would you do? RANK ORDER all responses (1=most effective to
4=least effective).

A. Since this course is likely to result in the relocation of the deputy manager, you approve her participation in the course.

B. You contact your director immediately and ask that she be relocated to a different position, more suited to her capabilities.

C. You veto her participation in the course and discuss it with her. You express your concerns and you try to work out your differences. You update your director.

D. You approve her participation in the course since it was offered by the director. However, you voice your concerns to the director.

C → D → B → A

D → A → B → C

A → D → B → D

B → D → C → A

View answer & explanation

Correct answer is A

No explanation has been provided for this answer.

At a marketing meeting with your supervisor and the senior marketing manager you find yourself in the midst of a conflict between them. You know that the two do not get along professionally and that they are in constant disagreement.
They are now arguing about strategies for a new campaign, and are asking you to pick a side.

What would you do? Choose the BEST option.

You accept the idea of the senior marketing manager. Since she is more senior she has more influence on your status in the company and therefore it is politically wiser to support her.

You accept the idea of your supervisor. Since he is directly above you, he has more influence on your daily routine in the company and therefore it is politically wiser to support him.

You weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of each side and decide accordingly without getting involved in their personal conflict.

You believe that getting involved in this dispute would be detrimental to you as both sides are superior to you. Therefore, you refuse to pick a side saying that both strategies are equally successful.

View answer & explanation

Correct answer is C

No explanation has been provided for this answer.

The backlog of work in Accounts department gets bigger by the day. There are many staffing issues (numbers, training etc.) causing this. The upshot is that most of your junior colleagues are now regularly missing each week's target deadline. As the team leader, you must prioritise resolving this situation before it turns into an even bigger crisis.

What would be the most effective reaction to this situation?

Remind your team of the problems and the clear need to meet every deadline.

Communicate to your team that you are resolving the problems personally.

Stay positive - and ask your immediate superior for additional resources.

Meet with the team to tell them what you believe is causing the problems.

View answer & explanation

Correct answer is C

The MOST effective option is (C). This is because missing deadlines is a major problem which needs to be escalated to your manager. You need to know where they stand on this issue.

(A) is in fact the LEAST effective option since it only pays lip service - without taking any direct actions to address the growing problem.

Answer option (B) is slightly better than the LEAST effective option (A). You are indeed resolving the issue personally and reminding the team that this leadership responsibility falls within your managerial responsibilities.

Answer option (D) starts with the good idea of holding a team meeting. The aim here needs to be keeping the team on board and asking for their thoughts/opinions on what's causing the issues. Telling them can easily be misinterpreted as blaming them. In which case they will be less likely to help you with the problem resolution.

You are a very busy Team Leader, working in the public health sector during a national pandemic. Currently, you're attending the team's latest bi-weekly, virtual presentation on individual projects led by a different team member each week. This particular project leader has already overrun the allocated time. Some of your team members look bored now. You agree that this presentation is dragging on too long.

What would be the most effective reaction to this situation?

You decide to leave the meeting explaining you have urgent work to do asap.

Gently wrap up the session, then hold a presentation review later that day.

Wrap-up the session by secretly messaging the whole team to ask questions now.

It's the presenter's responsibility to manage time, so this is not your responsibility.

View answer & explanation

Correct answer is B

(B) is the MOST effective solution, demonstrating collaborative decision-making in seeking a resolution. Plus taking the initiative to address the timing issue. Thirdly, it's your managerial responsibility to offer balanced feedback.

The LEAST effective solution is (A) which does not address the over-running presentation or that your team members are being similarly inconvenienced.

Whilst (C) is a 'positive' response to assume leadership of the issue; it also hands responsibility to your team. It sends a strong message to the presenter but this could have been in a more openly professional - and less secretive - manner. Also, the question session will itself take even more time (away from the team's other work).

Similarly (D) avoids taking responsibility for resolving the issue. Always look for an overall solution, which this isn't!

10.

You've recently started a new job managing a Customer Service helpdesk. In your first few weeks, you quickly realise that most of the team members are introverts and don't converse much. - even in your 1-to-1's. There is poor team spirit and hence quite low job satisfaction.

What would be the most effective reaction to this situation?

Call a one-off emergency meeting to highlight objectives and the lack of collaboration.

Start by introducing half-hour, weekly catch-up meetings for the whole team.

Implement compulsory training courses on interpersonal skills as soon as possible.

Familiarise yourself with the team objectives, then email regular updates on each one's progress.

View answer & explanation

Correct answer is B

(B) is the MOST effective response to the presented scenario. The key issue here is for you, as manager, to improve collaboration. Introducing short weekly meetings will do this in what should be perceived as an acceptable manner by your team. It's always good advice to select the solution likely to prove most effective in the long-term.

The LEAST effective response is (option (A). Rather than reminding colleagues of their team objectives, you need to be encouraging more regular team communication. A one-off meeting - even if it's given high priority - will not improve collaboration over the longer-term.

Regarding answer option (C); interpersonal skills training does offer some value. Still it's only one, albeit an important, component of effective collaboration.

Answer option (D) may work in the long-term. However it is not as proactive as option (B).