Situational Judgement Practice – PDF Download Version

Scenario 1 1. You have assigned your team some work with a tight deadline which unless met means that the company is going to incur huge losses.  You assign Jackie is to lead the team delivering the assignment. Two days before the deadline, Jackie shows up in your office and explains to you that it will not be possible to deliver the project on time because one of the team members failed to play his part. How are you going to handle the situation? a. Quarrel with Jackie and blame the delay on her entirely as a team leader. b. Brainstorm with her on what may be done to cover up the undone work. c. Ensure that both Jackie and the employee get a salary cut. d. Call a meeting and shame the entire team for failing. Scenario 2 A customer calls in with a list of complaints about your company. The sales representative directs the client to your office. The customer is angry and dissatisfied with their purchases. How do you communicate to the dissatisfied customer? a. Explain to the customer why they are wrong and how right your argument is. b. Listen carefully to the complaint without interrupting, show empathy and understanding and offer the best assistance you can. c. Blame the customer for not reading the terms and conditions of purchase. d. Deny a refund and refer the customer to another company. Scenario 3 A lot of shipments have been directed to your department which is currently short-staffed. The supervisor asks all employees to take turns working  overtime to handle the situation. You feel worn-out having worked late more than once during the week. You and your friends have plans to go out on Friday evening but your supervisor asks you to cover for a sick colleague. How should you respond? a. Explain to the supervisor that those plans are hard to change because you waited two summers to re-unite with your college friends. b. Accept the work and turn your friends down. c. Ignore the order and go out anyway. d. Communicate with your team members and supervisor and weigh the issues at hand and act accordingly. Scenario 4 You have been working with a company for more than three years. During this period, you have familiarized yourself with all polices governing the company’s operations. On this particular day, your immediate supervisor asks you to undertake a task which definitely goes against company policies. What should you do? a. Do as the supervisor asks and disregard the company policies. b. Decline to do what the supervisor asks of you. c. Explain to the supervisor that the action goes against the policies. d. Ask the supervisor whether he knows the policies of the company. Scenario 5 You are working on a task that calls for abilities that you don’t have. You need help from your workmates who possess the required skills. How would you go about seeking collaboration with these employees? a. Make a thorough analysis of all the parameters at play and act decisively. b. Ask for collaboration from other team members on the appropriate course of action. c. Act immediately without thinking. d. Fail to take any action.

1. B What has happened in the past is hard to reverse and instead of wasting more time, a  good leader would first, work towards meeting the requirements. In this given scenario, the possibility of incurring losses would be blamed on you. The most correct thing to do therefore is to brainstorm with Jackie and the rest of the team on what may be done by each member to meet the deadline. Choices A, C and D will lead to resentment against the company and yourself and would be bad for moral.  The object is to avoid loss and complete the project. 2. B Effective communication is two sided. Before you respond to the client’s complain, it is important to understand the complaint. Listen carefully and break down each important factor. Without proper listening, you are bound to mis-understand and irritate the client further. This way you end up losing clients. Be empathetic in your response and make yourself easy to understand. Most people are naturally inclined to thinking that they are always correct in their thinking. This natural bias causes people to feel bad whenever they are proven wrong by someone. Choice A could seem appropriate, but it is detrimental for the future of the business. Most people blame everything on everyone but themselves. When you blame them, choice C, they are less likely to become loyal customers and your business loses in the long run. Choice D is obviously incorrect and can be eliminated right away. 3. D Communication is very essential in any business undertaking. It is important to tell your side of the story as well as listen to deliberations by the team members. Consultations lead to better decision making. Choice A seems appropriate; however, it fails to account for the supervisor’s point of view or argument. However valid your argument might be, it is not sufficient to solve the issue. Going to work unwillingly (choice B) on the other hand is bad for you and for the company as well. You won’t be able to concentrate and your productivity will be affected. Finding common ground or some type of accommodation is the best thing to do. 4. C It is possible the supervisor is unaware of a policy. It therefore becomes important to speak with them politely. Rarely are supervisors wrong. However sometimes unexpected things happen, but that does not allow you to do something you know violates company policy (Choice A). Declining to do the task (Choice B) without explanation is not likely to be taken well by your superior. Generally supervisors know the policies better than you although it is possible (Choice D).  Choice C is the better choice. 5. B Two heads are better than one. By allowing others to have an input in the final decision, you not only reduce unnecessary resistance but also increase employee commitment.  To be effective, a leader should ensure team members are part of the decision-making process. Being involved gives them a sense of importance and belonging. It is possible to make a thorough analysis of the factors involved in this and assume that one is able to make a decision that will be accepted by all (Choice A) however getting buy-in from everyone is a better strategy. Choices C and D are Obviously wrong choices and can be eliminated right away.