The "Difficult Team" question

One answer I ask all of my clients to prepare is the "difficult team" story. The question goes something like this, "Tell us about a time that you had to work on a team that did not get along. What happened? What role did you take? What was the result? Based on this example, what would you do if your MBA study team members were not getting along with each other?" There are many variations to this question, as you can see below.


BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEWING
Please note that the example question above is compound. I included the second part (based on this example...) in order to demonstrate the purpose of the question (how you will behave at MBA).

Please do not panic - I have never heard of an interviewer asking the entire question at once. An experienced behavioral interviewer knows how to pace your story by asking follow-up questions. Let her do so rather than talking non-stop for five minutes. Remember - an interview should be conversational. It is not a speaking test.

Why do I encourage my clients to prepare an answer to this question? Because many schools ask some version of it. For example, I have recently seen instances from Kellogg, Wharton, IMD, and IESE interview reports.


THE QUESTION BEHIND THE QUESTION
Why is "difficult teams" a common question topic? Think about it. Even at independently minded programs like Chicago Booth, you will work in countless teams during your MBA experience. For example, you are likely to collaborate with others on class projects, business plan competitions, in clubs, consulting projects, international study trips, and so on.


TEAMS ARE HARD; DIVERSE TEAMS ARE EVEN HARDER
Even teams composed of members from similar backgrounds do not always agree. To make matters even more complicated, at MBA, you may often find yourself working in teams with people from different cultural and functional backgrounds (many countries, many professions and industries). In such teams, conflicts are even more common. How will you handle such disagreements?


INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
The core premise of behavioral interviewing is that your past actions indicate your future behavior. By asking you to share examples how you handled (and hopefully helped) difficult teams, your interviewer is trying to gauge if you can work well with your future project and study team members at MBA. Consciously or unconsciously, she may also be asking herself, "Would I want this person in my team?" By preparing multiple examples of how you helped improve team dynamics, you can increase the chances that she would answer, "Yes!"

THE QUESTIONS

1. Describe a time when you worked towards an important goal and had to address conflict between two or more team members.
2. Describe a time when you got an un-collaborative member committed to the team.
3. Describe the time when you solved a conflict between any two members of your team. (The interviewer specifically mentioned that the question does not imply a conflict between my team member and me).
4. Describe a scenario where you worked on a team and one of the team members was not pulling her weight. What did you do?
5. Tell us about a time that you had to work on a team that did not get along. What happened? What role did you take? What was the result? Based on that example, what would you do if your MBA study team members were not getting along with each other?
6. Tell me about a time when you experienced cultural conflict and how you handled it.
7. What has been your most difficult teamwork experience? 
8. Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or help others to compromise. What was your role? What steps did you take? What was the result?
9. Tell me about a time when you resolved a conflict in a group.
10. Tell us about the most difficult challenge you faced in trying to work cooperatively with someone who did not share the same ideas? What was your role in achieving the work objective?
11. Have you ever been a member of a group where two of the members did not work well together? What did you do to get them to do so?
12. What is the toughest group that you have had to get cooperation from? Describe how you handled it. What was the outcome? 
13.  

Difficult Teams Matrix (Please fill out this chart or create your own version.)

	Keyword/Theme	Details/Examples
Problem	Cross-cultural conflict Cross-functional conflict Btwn you and someone else Btwn two other people (you mediated between them)
Action	Peacemaker / Bridge / Facilitator / Mediator Counselor Teacher Coach
Results	New idea Compromise Agree to disagree Resolution Mutual understanding Consensus
Lessons	How to resolve conflict in a constructive way How to find common ground How to persuade specialists to share information and collaborate How to negotiate with a certain cultural and/or functional mindset
Application	To MBA life	Club activity Study group Project team Consulting project

NOT A FAILURE QUESTION 
Please be careful. Questions about difficult team experiences are NOT the same as mistake or failure questions. Only offer examples of your mistake or failure when asked for them DIRECTLY.

In a mistake or failure, you were part of the problem. Your attitude or actions caused actual damage:

• Loss of time
• Loss of money
• Loss of reputation
• Loss of relationship (trust)

On the other hand, in a "difficult team" story, you were part of the solution.

Please prepare your answers, then practice them with mentors and trusted advisers. I wish you success!

OTHER RESOURCES
Best Tips / Hints / Tools / LINKS for brainstorming and structuring teamwork stories
http://www.delicious.com/admissions/brainstorming_teamwork

A CLASSIC BOOK ON TEAMWORK THAT I RECOMMEND
http://bit.ly/WisdomTeams

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-Updated by Vince on 14 March 2012

• I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide
• If you want my help preparing for your interview, please email interviews@vinceprep.com
• Let me know when you plan to interview and when you want to practice with me
• I will confirm if I have the capacity to help you
• My interview service details and fees are here
• Please note that initial consultations are not offered for interview training

• Watch Vince videos on YouTube
• I invite you to follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/tokyovince and join me on Facebook.

The MIT Interview

MIT interviews can be tough b/c they are NOT BLIND. 

As with HBS, your interviewer (an adcom member) can and will refer to your essays / dig deeper during the interview. She or he is NOT likely to ask typical questions (WMTYR, teamwork, leadership, goals, etc.)

It can be friendly / conversational, but you need to be prepared to answer new questions with new examples.

I also encourage you to research and practice behavioral interview techniques.

Please do your best!

MIT instructions (accessed at http://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba/admissions/MITSloan_interview_guide.pdf on 3/2011)

The MIT Sloan MBA Admissions Committee conducts Behavioral Event-Based Interviews. 

The concept behind Behavioral Event Interviews (BEI) is past behavior is a reliable indicator of future response in a similar situation.

BEI is different from the traditional screening interviews:

• Instead of asking how you would behave in a particular situation, the interviewer will ask you how you did behave.
• Expect your interviewer to question and probe your answers.
• The interviewer will ask you to provide details and will not allow you to theorize or generalize about several events.
• The interview will be a structured process that will concentrate on areas that are important to the interviewer, rather than allowing you to concentrate on areas that you may feel are important.
• You may not get a chance to deliver any prepared stories.
• Most interviewers will be taking copious notes throughout the interview. 

What the Admissions Committee is looking for

• The interviewer will be looking for concrete and specific examples revealing one or several of the following traits during the interview:
• Influencing others: the ability to influence a person, group or organization.
• Relationship building: the ability to build and maintain professional relationships.
• Drive: the ability to set an objective and achieve it.

Preparing for BEI

• Recall a recent situation that showed favorable behaviors or actions, especially involving work experience, leadership, professional relationships, teamwork, planning, etc.
• Prepare short descriptions of each situation; be ready to give details when asked.
• Be sure the story has a beginning, a middle and an end.
• Be honest; don’t embellish or omit any part of the story.
• Be specific. Don’t generalize about several events; give a detailed accounting of one event.  The interviewer will not give you the benefit of the doubt if there is something missing from your story.

2009 R1, interviewed w/ adcoms in Tokyo

1. Interviewer: Rod Garcia, Director of MBA Admissions

2. Length of Interview: about 45 min.

3. Questions asked:

He used to ask one big question and made several questions to dig down my answers.

1) What do you do know?

- What is your task in that business?

- How could you established such a big and exciting business?

- Please tell me about your past professional experience.

2) Tell me about the time when you have to persuade people or organization to influence others.

- Please give me example of the dialog you had with your peers.

- Why and how do you think their supports made your current partner give your company exclusive right?

3) Please tell me about the time when you had to put yourself into uncomfortable environment

- Why the executives come late to the meeting?

- What did you do and learned in through the task?

- How did your attitude change since this experience?

4) What do you want to do after MBA?

5) Do you have any questions? (for 2 times)

6) Do you have anything else you want to mention?

4. Overall impression: Rod was really friendly but professional. He asked me a lot of questions about my past experience.

2007-2008 

The 2nd round interview was in Tokyo with adcom (#2 guy below Rod Garcia). It lasted 30 mins.

Questions:

1. What kind of quality or talent I bring to my workshop?

2. What is my personal (not job related) goals in the future?

3. What kind of preparation do I do for my personal goals?

and then related to my answer on 3rd question, he continued to ask:

4. How do I rank MIT for my MBA selection?

5. Why MIT?

6. Is there anything I would like to tell him?

7. Question for him

The interviewer was taking notes of my comments, but the overall atmosphere was mild with some smiles from him.

More strategy and reports here:

http://delicious.com/admissions/MIT+interview_reports

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-Updated by Vince on 14 March 2012

 

• 
  I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide
• 
  If you want my help preparing for your interview, please email interviews@vinceprep.com
• 
  Let me know when you plan to interview and when you want to practice with me
• 
  I will confirm if I have the capacity to help you
• 
  My interview service details and fees are here
• 
  Please note that initial consultations are not offered for interview training

 

• 
  Watch Vince videos on YouTube
• 
  I invite you to follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/tokyovince and join me on Facebook.

Behavioral Event-Based Interviews (BEI)

Behavioral Event-Based Interviews (BEI) 

What is BEI?

In the 1980’s, industrial psychologist Dr. Tom Janz introduced a method of interviewing called the “Behavioral Interview.” Research shows that this interviewing style is extremely effective, and MBA adcoms have started using it in interviews as well as essay questions, first at MIT and now, to a lesser extent, Wharton, Stanford, and other programs (depending on the interviewer).

Why do adcoms (and some alumni) use BEI?

The premise is that the best predictor of future behavior is your past behavior. In a behavioral interview you will have to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and abilities, collectively known as competencies, by giving specific examples from your past experiences. Instead of asking how you would behave in a particular situation, the interviewer will ask you to describe how you did behave. Expect the interviewer to question and probe you for more details about what you thought, felt, said and did. Also, your interviewer will not allow you to theorize or generalize about several events.

How can you prepare for a Behavioral Event-Based Interview?

During a behavioral interview, always listen carefully to the question, ask for clarification if necessary, and make sure you answer the question completely. Your answer should contain these four steps (Situation, Task, Action, Result or "STAR") for optimum success. http://web.mit.edu/career/www/guide/star.html

1. Situation: give an example of a situation you were involved in that resulted in a positive outcome
   
2. Task: describe the tasks involved in that situation
   
3. Action: talk about the various actions involved in the situation’s task
   
4. Results: what results directly followed because of your actions
   

Whenever you can, quantify your results. Numbers illustrate your level of authority and responsibility. For example: "I was a shift supervisor." could be "As Shift Supervisor, I trained and evaluated 4 employees."

Example of a STAR Answer

1. Situation: During my internship last summer, I was responsible for managing various events.
2. Task: I noticed that attendance at these events had dropped by 30% over the past 3 years and wanted to do something to improve these numbers.
3. Action: I designed a new promotional packet to go out to the local community businesses. I also included a rating sheet to collect feedback on our events and organized internal round table discussions to raise awareness of the issue with our employees.
4. Result: We utilized some of the wonderful ideas we received from the community, made our internal systems more efficient and visible and raised attendance by 18% the first year.

Behavioral Interview Example

Question: “Describe a situation where you have had to deal with a difficult person.”

Answer: “I was transferred to a new project at my previous company to replace a beloved member of the team. My new team leader exhibited hostility towards me and I found myself left out of vital communications and meetings. After a few weeks, I was able to talk her into a one on one meeting. When laid out all of the key objectives for the team, the previous employees role in meeting those objectives, and then discussed goals that I could set to make sure I was able to serve as a quality replacement. In our discussion, we also identified a few underlying issues with management that she had been carrying around with her. In uncovering all of these sentiments, she was able to clearly define her situation and achieve an understanding with her supervisors. In the end, the entire team morale improved, I was able to exceed my goals and the company itself became more profitable from our teams increased performance.”

Follow-up questions will test for consistency and determine if you exhibited the desired behavior in that situation:

• "Can you give me an example?"
• "What did you do?"
• "What did you say?"
• "What were you thinking?"
• "How did you feel?
• "What was your role?"
• "What was the result?"

MOST COMMON BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW QUESTION TYPES 
by CATEGORY

Teamwork

• Tell us about a time that you had to work on a team that did not get along. What happened? What role did you take? What was the result? Based on that example, what would you do if your MBA study team members were not getting along with each other? 
• How do you resolve conflict on a team.
• Tell me about a time when you experienced cultural conflict and how you handled it.
• What role do you typically play in teams? 
• Tell me about a time when you contributed to a team.
• What has been your most difficult teamwork experience?  
• Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or help others to compromise. What was your role? What steps did you take? What was the end result?
  
• Describe a team experience you found disappointing. What would you have done to prevent this?
  
• Tell me about a time when you resolved a conflict in a group.
• Tell us about the most difficult challenge you faced in trying to work cooperatively with someone who did not share the same ideas? What was your role in achieving the work objective?
  
• What is the difficult part of being a member, not leader, of a team? How did you handle this?
  
• When is the last time you had a disagreement with a peer? How did you resolve the situation?
• Tell us about the most difficult or frustrating individual that you’ve ever had to work with, and how you managed to work with them.
• Have you ever been a member of a group where two of the members did not work well together? What did you do to get them to do so?
  
• What is the toughest group that you have had to get cooperation from? Describe how you handled it. What was the outcome?
  

Leadership

• What is your leadership style? Give me an example of a time when you displayed that leadership style.
• Tell me your definition of leadership and give an example.
  
• Tell me about a time when you exercised leadership.
• Tell me about a time when you took initiative.
• Tell me about a time when you introduced an innovation.
• Tell me about a time when you solved an important problem.
• Tell me about a time when you took a position different from the consensus view of your team / organization.
• How do you show leadership outside of your job?
  
• What leadership areas do you wish do develop through your MBA experience? What specifically do you plan to do at School X to develop in these ways?
• Describe your leadership style and give an example of a situation when you successfully led a group.
  
• Have you ever been in a position where you had to lead a group of peers? How did you handle it?
  
• Give an example of a time in which you felt you were able to build motivation in your co-workers or subordinates at work.

Accomplishments

• What is your greatest accomplishment? 
• What impact have your accomplishments had on your organization?

Failure

• Have you ever failed?
  
• How did you recover from this experience & what did you learn about yourself?
• When have you faced a setback and how did you deal with it?
  
• What has been your major work related disappointment? What happened and what did you do?

Ethics / Integrity

• Discuss an ethical dilemma you faced at work.
  
• Describe a situation where your values, ethics, or morals were challenged. How did you handle the situation? What did you learn about yourself?

Information pulled from various public sources including:

http://web.mit.edu/career/www/guide/star.html

More links here: http://delicious.com/admissions/interview_behavioral

Watch a behavioral interview here

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OTHER TOPICS for BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS

Adaptability

• Describe a major change that occurred in a job that you held. How did you adapt to this change?
  
• Tell us about a situation in which you had to adjust to changes over which you had no control. How did you handle it?
  
• Tell us about a time that you had to adapt to a difficult situation.
  

Communication strengths and weaknesses

• Describe a situation when you were able to strengthen a relationship by communicating effectively. What made your communication effective?
  
• Describe a situation where you felt you had not communicated well. How did you correct the situation?
  
• Describe a time when you were able to effectively communicate a difficult or unpleasant idea to a superior.
  
• Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person, even when that individual may not have personally liked you, or vice versa.
  
• How do you go about explaining a complex technical problem to a person who does not understand technical jargon? What approach do you take in communicating with people?
  
• Tell us about a time when you had to present complex information. How did you ensure that the other person understood?
  
• Tell us about an experience in which you had to speak up in order to be sure that other people knew what you thought or felt.
  

Detail-Oriented (vs. Big-Picture)

• Describe a situation where you had the option to leave the details to others or you could take care of them yourself.
  
• Do prefer to work with the “big picture” or the “details” of a situation? Give me an example of an experience that illustrates your preference.
  

Diversity

• Tell us about a time that you successfully adapted to a culturally different environment.
  
• Tell us about a time when you had to adapt to a wide variety of people by accepting/understanding their perspective.
  
• Tell us about a time when you made an intentional effort to get to know someone from another culture.
  

Initiative

• Give me an example of when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
  
• Give me examples of projects/tasks you started on your own.
  

Persuasion

• Describe a situation in which you were able to positively influence the actions of others in a desired direction.
  
• Describe a situation where you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.
  
• Have you ever had to persuade a peer or manager to accept an idea that you knew they would not like? Describe the resistance you met and how you overcame it.
  

Problem Solving

• Describe the most difficult working relationship you’ve had with an individual. What specific actions did you take to improve the relationship? What was the outcome?
  
• Give me an example of a situation where you had difficulties with a team member. What, if anything, did you do to resolve the difficulties?

Complete List of Behavioral Interview Questions:

http://www.emurse.com/blog/2007/05/21/complete-list-of-behavioral-interview-questions/

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