Tell me about a time that you had to work on a team that did not get along. What happened?
The ability to collaborate with a team is critical to just about any job, especially for computer system analysts. Team dynamics can often be challenging, and inevitably there will be conflicts. Your ability to manage these and accomplish the task at hand is critical. You should be able to describe a situation where you had a conflict with a difficult team member and resolved it professionally and productively.
"I frequently collaborate with high-performance teams of computer professionals. Occasionally, conflicts arise due to differences in opinions or approaches to resolving an issue. When this happens, I first seek to understand the other person's perspective. I then clearly state my position and see if we can reach an agreement on our own. If we are unable to do this, I recommend that we escalate the issue to our manager, who is typically able to resolve it to both of our satisfaction."
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
When working as a systems analyst, I was handed a team that lacked cohesion. I realized that my main task was to change the team's culture from divisive to collaborative. I decided to change the roles and tasks assigned to avoid conflict, clarifying the expectations the organization had for each member. To increase collaboration, we started using an MS planner. Now, in our morning huddle, each member clarifies the tasks he/she must complete that day. The tasks and their progress are visible to the entire team. After three months, productivity increased by 45%.
Amanda's Feedback
This is a great example that illustrates your leadership ability! You can make this answer more impactful by talking about how you empowered the team to collaborate more effectively. Did you clarify individual roles and goals, implement new project management software to facilitate teamwork, start holding daily/weekly team check-in meetings, or adjust workflows to be more efficient? Sharing the specific action you took to help the team work better gives the interviewer clearer insight into how you address team conflict.
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