I'd like you to share an experience when you disagreed with a team member's approach.

Question Analysis

This question is designed to assess your interpersonal skills, conflict resolution abilities, and how you handle disagreements in a team setting. The interviewer is interested in understanding how you approach differing opinions, maintain professionalism, and work collaboratively to achieve a resolution. The focus should be on highlighting your ability to listen, communicate effectively, and contribute to a positive team dynamic, even when disagreements arise.

Answer

Situation: In my previous role as a project manager, our team was tasked with developing a new feature for our software product. One of the developers proposed an approach that involved using a new technology that I was not convinced was suitable for our project timeline.

Task: As the project manager, my responsibility was to ensure that the project was completed on time and met the clients' requirements. I needed to address my concerns with the proposed approach while maintaining team harmony and ensuring that everyone had a chance to share their ideas.

Action: I scheduled a meeting with the developer to discuss my concerns. I listened to his perspective and the benefits he saw in using the new technology. I then shared my apprehensions regarding the learning curve and potential delays. We decided to bring the discussion to the entire team, where we could weigh the pros and cons together. This allowed us to collaboratively evaluate the best approach by considering everyone's input and expertise.

Result: After the team discussion, we reached a consensus to adapt the proposed approach slightly by incorporating the new technology in a limited scope, which aligned with our timeline and allowed for team members to get familiar with the new technology without jeopardizing the project deadline. This experience not only resulted in a successful project launch but also strengthened our team’s ability to collaborate and innovate effectively.