Team working Flashcards
Tell me about a time when you worked effectively as part of a team to achieve a common goal
how do you handle conflicts/ disagreements within a team?
In a team setting, conflicts and disagreements are inevitable, but I believe that handling them constructively is key to maintaining a productive and harmonious work environment. One particular experience comes to mind that illustrates how I handle such situations effectively.
During a group project at university, we were preparing a presentation, and I discovered that a team member had deleted the slides I had prepared. When I approached her about it, she explained that she didn’t feel the information on the slides was relevant. Initially, I felt frustrated and unfairly treated, but I knew that addressing the issue calmly and constructively was crucial.
First, I sought to understand her perspective by asking her to elaborate on why she found the slides irrelevant. She mentioned that the slides seemed too brief and not informative enough. I then explained that the slides were designed to summarize key points concisely, with detailed information provided in the notes section for the presentation. This helped bridge our understanding gap, as she hadn’t realized the full context of the content.
Recognizing that her feedback could enhance our overall presentation, I took the initiative to review my slides again. I incorporated more detailed information directly into the slides while ensuring they remained clear and focused. I then presented these revised slides to the group for approval, explaining the changes and the rationale behind them.
This approach not only resolved the immediate conflict but also improved our presentation by making it more informative and engaging. The team appreciated my willingness to adapt and the effort to incorporate diverse perspectives, leading to a stronger final product.
From this experience, I learned the importance of:
Open Communication: Addressing conflicts directly and respectfully, seeking to understand all viewpoints.
Flexibility: Being open to feedback and willing to make changes for the benefit of the project.
Collaboration: Involving the entire team in decision-making to ensure collective agreement and ownership.
describe a situation where you took the intiative to improve a process / project
can you give an example of a time when you had to lead a project under a TIGHT deadline
