Free Situational Judgment Test for Managers Practice 2024

Best response: A
Core competency: encouraging employees' development, encouraging innovation and leading changes
Secondary competencies: influencing others, decision making

Explanation: This is a question about motivation (team leader's motivation, which affects their teams) and means to improve productivity.

Setting specific goals and providing incentives (response A) creates clear expectations and motivates the team leaders to try harder, aiming for clear goals.

Response B increases motivation but lacks a distinct strategy to improve productivity. It could work, but asking the team leaders to improve is rather vague and might not achieve the desired goals.

Giving a motivational speech about the competence of the team leaders (response C) indeed could motivate them, but it could also reinforce the current state – the feeling that the team is good enough, and instead of pushing higher the team leaders may continue to rest on their laurels.

Response D provides false feedback – the team leaders don’t have a motivational problem (we are not told that they don’t work well or that they are being lazy, but simply that they don’t try to improve). This feedback might feel like a reprimand and demotivate the team leaders.

Responses A and B are both appropriate and could be effective. Different workplaces may have different attitudes as to which is better. And, of course, a combination of both would be best. We chose response A as best as it is the only one which includes incentives and clear goals, which are most likely to increase motivation and engage the team leaders in a more ambitious mode of work.

Explanation
Best response: C
Core competency: effective communication
Secondary competencies: decision making, team building

Explanation: This is a question about your methods of leading discussions. Notice that the goal is to create a specific kind of discussion – creative brainstorming. The optional responses could be appropriate in creating different types of discussions, but here you are aiming for this specific kind.

Starting the discussion with your opinion (response A) may start the conversation but it could also influence the opinion of your team supervisors. You are in a different position than they are, and they might be influenced by your opinion, consciously or not.

When trying to establish a creative discussion, you should aim for an open conversation in which creativity can thrive. When you keep your team supervisors' responses short (response B), you don’t allow them to be creative and the ideas you will receive will be less innovative. This response shows ineffective communication.

Response C combines the effectiveness of responses B and D: you allow an open discussion that allows creative thoughts to flow, and you make sure that eventually, you get input from all members. This is important, as open conversations, creative as they may be, tend sometimes to be led by dominant individuals, while more quite individuals may not speak up. However, their input could be valuable (decision-making, effective communication). Moreover, by making sure that you’ve heard everyone you send out a message that their opinion matters. This act also enhances team building.

In response D you allow an open discussion to take place, thus allowing creativity and teamwork (team building). As mentioned above, the only flaw in this strategy is that some voices may remain unheard.