Tell me about a time when you made a suggestion requesting change in an organization.
How you answer this question will provide the interviewer with insights into how you perceive your work surroundings. Understanding why things are done the way they are is the most important step to trying to improve upon them. Otherwise, all you'll be presenting is an ill-informed presumption. It's a common occurrence for an employee to judge a company's systems or method, assuming they know better without digging deeper into the reasons behind its structure. What matters here is your approach. Unless you've been with an organization since the beginning, you were likely not privy to the reasons behind everything an organization does. Coming into an organization assuming you've thought of something no one yet has is shortsighted.
"Last year, when I was managing dispatch for my company, I noticed a pretty solid opportunity for us to save on overtime hours. I created a presentation and gave it to my manager, who took it to upper management. The changes were implemented, and I was very proud of the suggestion that I made."
"Our company did not have a strong policy for workplace harassment and bullying. I was able to work with the leadership team to create a new program which has been readily welcomed by our staff."
Provide examples of when you researched why something wasn't working for the organization. It often takes a detective or an investigative reporter to get to the bottom of a problem and find a better way of doing things. If the example you provide offers layers of team collaboration led by you and ultimately solved by you, all the better. This additionally is an excellent opportunity to show off your analytical skills.
How you'd suggest changes or ideas towards innovation is just as important as what you'd suggest. To say, "I thought of a great idea! Listen up!" Will often meet the reply of, "Good idea, but we tried that already" or "I like that you're trying, but that won't work. You didn't think about XYZ...". A better approach is, "When I was researching this, I discovered this, and I was wondering, have you ever thought about trying ABC instead of XYZ..." Consider this when coming up with your example and how you quantified the change you suggested.
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I have made many suggestions that required changes. one of them is reshaping the Application Design team. using ARENA simulation software, I created a report that showed the management the decrease in non-value-added time in the increase in the number of finished designs per day following my proposed process. This resulted in the implementation of the new process.
Cindy's Feedback
Great. How did that process work and did the organization see a benefit? Can you explain it?
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