Scenario involving teamwork and conflict resolution - Answer & Advice
Suggested answer
There are a number of steps I would take from the outset to ensure that the team works cohesively.
Communication
Firstly, I am aware that communication is key to effective teamwork. I would therefore try to initially establish clear and regular channels of communication so that we can keep track of one another’s progress and regularly share ideas, feedback and opinions.
To that end, I would suggest that we agree a time for recurring weekly team meetings (perhaps via Zoom if people won’t necessarily be in the office), then set up recurring calendar invitations to make sure this time is routed in each team member’s calendar. I would also suggest setting up an online group in which we can share ideas and progress on a more ad hoc basis, perhaps using Slack or similar software that the firm might have available. Finally, I would make sure that we all had access to a shared task list (for example, a Google spreadsheet setting out details of tasks and progress) so that we all have oversight over what has been achieved and what still needs to be done to get the event over the line.
Delegation
Secondly, I believe that delegation is another key aspect of teamworking. Effective delegation can help a team to work more efficiently, by ensuing that work is distributed in a way that ensures nobody is overburdened (and therefore that everyone is able to complete their work on time). Effective delegation can also ensure that tasks are completed by those with the skills and experience needed to do a good job.
To that end, I would also suggest that we start by outlining the various tasks that need to be carried out in the lead up to the networking event, as well as discussing any potentially relevant knowledge and prior experience that each team member has accumulated. I would also propose that we discuss each team member’s projected capacity between now and the date of the event.
On the basis of these discussions, I would then suggest that we delegate tasks that play to each team member’s strengths and experience (and align with their capacity). For example, if the graduate recruiters in the team have arranged dozens of events as part of their student marketing/recruitment activities, it might make sense for them to take the lead on managing the budget and sourcing potential venues and catering. If members of the business development team have good oversight over the firm’s client base (e.g. because they often work on pitches and keep track of client relationships), they might be better placed to draw up the client invitation list. If the event will involve some kind of panel discussion, the lawyers in the team might have a better idea of which topics might be of interest to clients, and which senior lawyers should discuss those topics. And so on.
Working cohesively
Thirdly, I am aware that effective teamwork can also depend on the motivation and confidence of each team member, as well as the ability of team members to adapt to one another’s working styles, preferences and attitudes.
Accordingly, I would try to keep others motivated by staying upbeat to maintain a positive atmosphere, encouraging others to contribute and take ownership over their work, and leading by example through pulling my weight and remaining reliable and responsive. I would also clarify at the outset whether team members have particular preferences for how they like to work, and adapt my own working style accordingly. Finally, if some of all of the team members do not know one another personally, I would suggest that we kick off the project by trying to break the ice and build an initial rapport, perhaps through arranging a team social or dinner.
Dealing with conflict
I understand that conflicts with colleagues may arise throughout the process of organising and delivering the networking event, especially if there are times when the team is tired and under pressure, or where people have different opinions about how to move forward.
If such conflict does arise, I would strive to de-escalate the situation as quickly as possible and help those involved in the conflict to reach a compromise. In particular, I would ask open questions (and encourage others to do the same) in order to elicit information that could help those involved to better understand one another’s motivations, with a view to us using this information to find common ground. Throughout, I would demonstrate empathy by taking the time to listen to and understand others’ opinions, whilst remaining open-minded and willing to concede where appropriate. I would also self-reflect to try to determine whether there was anything I had done to cause or escalate the conflict, and if so, I would adapt my approach to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
Advice on how to discuss teamwork
Many City careers involve employees having to regularly work in teams. This may be internally within their particular departments; with other internal departments that are working on the same projects; with employees working in other offices within the global network of offices (if the firm is international); and/or with other types of firms. For instance, many transactions involve input from investment banks, law firms, accountancy firms, consultancy firms, regulators and institutional investors, and these different industry players must coordinate effectively in order to successfully execute those transactions.
Firms will therefore need to ensure that you’ll be able to interact effectively with colleagues, contribute positively to the firm’s culture, and act professionally and courteously when representing the firm to clients and in your dealings with third party organisations. Which is why many firms test your ability to work in teams during assessment centres and internships. So how can you demonstrate these skills? For starters, recounting the ways in which you’ve succeeded in team-based situations – even if your examples aren’t drawn from a professional context – can help to shed light on your ability to work effectively with others.
Hannah Salton explains how you can demonstrate teamworking skills
Think about various times when you have worked as part of a team. University group projects provide an obvious example, but you may also have worked in a team when volunteering, carrying out work experience, attending internships or working with university societies. Reflect on examples involving challenging dynamics or interesting contexts, for example times where conflicts or unexpected challenges have arisen, or where there have been stark differences in the preferred working styles of different team members. Reflect on the role you played in these examples, including how you interacted with others.
Jake Schogger’s explains how you can demonstrate teamworking skills
When discussing teamwork, consider mentioning some of the techniques that you used to ensure success (I like to refer to these as the “mechanics” of teamwork). To give a few examples:
- Communication is key to effective teamwork, so perhaps discuss any examples where you established clear and regular channels of communication, kept track of progress, and encouraged team members to share ideas, feedback and opinions. To bring the examples to life, you could go into specifics – for instance by mentioning that you set up a Slack channel, Facebook or WhatsApp group, recurring Zoom meetings, and so on – to facilitate regular communication. You could also mention examples of where you had to use different forms of communication with different stakeholders. For example, let’s say you were leading a team responsible for organising an event, and that event also involved coordinating volunteers on the day. In this scenario, perhaps you set up digital communication channels for team members, to facilitate quick and regular communication between those responsible for organising the event and dealing with any issues that arose (in the knowledge that responsiveness would be key). However, for volunteers, perhaps you instead decided to create and circulate clear and comprehensive written instructions at the outset to ensure that those volunteers understood what was expected of them (and to avoid your team having to answer the same questions multiple times).
- Delegation is another key aspect of teamworking. Effective delegation can help a team to work more efficiently, by ensuing work is distributed in a way that ensures nobody is overburdened (and therefore that everyone is able to complete their work on time). It can also ensure that tasks are completed by those with the skills and experience needed to do a good job. To demonstrate that you’ve acquired and practised this skill, perhaps highlight instances where you’ve encouraged team members to discuss their skills and experiences, then allocated tasks that play to each person’s strengths (and align with their capacity). In addition, mentioning that you actively put yourself forward for particular tasks (including tasks that you knew wouldn’t be popular with other team members) can help to further demonstrate that you’re a real team player.
- Adaptability is also important, especially when working with people who have different working styles, preferences and attitudes. Demonstrating that you’ve successfully navigated such differences in the past can evidence your ability to work well with others.
- Effective teamwork can also depend on the motivation and confidence of each team member, including you! Think about whether you’ve actively motivated others in a group scenario, for example by staying upbeat to maintain a positive atmosphere, encouraging others to contribute and take ownership over their work, trying hard to draw out a diverse range of ideas, and leading by example through pulling your weight and remaining reliable and responsive.
- Relationship building can be another key aspect of teamworking. If you’ve previously worked with people who you hadn’t known at the time, what did you do to break the ice and build that initial rapport? Did you arrange coffees or a team social? If you collaborated with people from different academic or professional disciplines (e.g. for a group project involving lawyers and engineers), did you suggest anything creative to ensure the team works cohesively? For example, did you suggest temporary role swaps so that team members could understand the role of the other disciplines and if so, did this help to ensure you were all truly aligned and able to contribute ideas across disciplines?
Advice on how to deal with conflict
A whole host of conflicts can arise throughout your career, for example: conflicts with clients, perhaps where they take issue with the quality of work delivered or the bill; conflicts with colleagues, who may be tired and stressed, or have different opinions about how to move forward; and conflicts with people from other firms, for example during negotiations. And such conflicts can escalate unnecessarily if not dealt with appropriately. For this reason, firms may test your ability to resolve conflicts. Note that questions relating to teamwork might also cover your ability to deal with conflicts in group scenarios.
How can you demonstrate your ability to deal with conflict?
Think about times where you’ve disagreed with others, had to de-escalate a situation, tried to reach a compromise with others (or helped others to reach a compromise), or tried to resolve a dispute. Perhaps, for example, you were part of a university executive committee that was divided over a particular issue, or you worked on a group project and there was a disagreement between group members.
Note that it probably wouldn’t come across particularly well if you use an example where the other person was totally and objectively in the wrong, as stating this might make you seem stubborn and inflexible. Conflict resolution is all the more impressive where the various parties each had at least a few reasonable requirements or motivations that had to be taken into account when trying to find common ground.
When discussing your ability to deal with conflict, highlight the strategies you used when doing so. For example, did you start by asking open questions so that you could try to understand where each person was coming from? Did you then demonstrate empathy, by explaining that you understand others’ opinions, and take the time to calmly explain your own position? Did you then take active steps to work collaboratively with others to resolve the issue or reach a compromise? And were you self-reflecting throughout, to try to determine whether there was anything you had done to unnecessarily cause the conflict (and if so, were you willing to concede or apologise, and did you learn your lesson?).