1. Please respond to the following short answer question in four parts (i.e., we would like to see a
distinct response to each part). We find that most examples can be effectively communicated within
500 words total, across the four parts. Please attach your response below.
Working in teams is critical to the role of a McKinsey consultant, and can be challenging at times.
Please think about a time when you found it a challenge to work together with another person or other
people in a team.
1. Briefly describe the situation and the person/people you worked with.
2. What specific challenges did you have in working with this person/these people?
3. Describe the key things you did to overcome these challenges.
4. What was the outcome of this situation?
Answer 1.
During my tenure at IBM as a WebSphere Consultant, I was required to solve technical issues of
customers. I learnt very early that it is very important to have good working relationships with
colleagues to get positive results. It is vital to be able to work effectively and efficiently in a team.
I never had much problem doing this and used to enjoy my work until I was posted in Pittsburgh
briefly where I had to share a house with a colleague. Coming from different backgrounds, we had
different expectations from our visit. This resulted in frequent disagreements and an argument. It
was a difficult situation to deal with as I was also working with him.
The major challenge in this situation was lack of communication. It is very important to hear the
other side and take everything on board before making a decision. Another challenge I felt was the
unwillingness or lack of enthusiasm on behalf of my colleague to sort the issue. It is fine to not get
along with people but it becomes an issue if it starts affecting work productivity. So I felt I needed to
take initiative and clear the matter to allow us to feel comfortable again working together.
To overcome these challenges I decided to make specific time and place to talk about it and discuss
the major issues. I invited my colleague over for a casual coffee meeting after work. To my delight,
he agreed. I brought up the things which were bothering me and I also raised my concern about how
personal and professional lives should not interfere with each other. After talking about it, i certainly
felt a lot better. I was also surprised to hear his side of the story as he mentioned certain things
which had never caught my attention before. He decided to give it a shot and let the rest be in the
past and move beyond it.
Over the next few days, we both worked on doing our work amicably and trying not be in each
other’s way. Within a few days, life was back to normal. We were back to enjoying a comfortable
working relationship and were able to share the house without any further problems.
What I learnt from this minor situation was that all problems can be solved with effective
communication and listening to the other person. It is the willingness to think beyond ourselves and
making changes is what brings people together. Understanding can only come from listening. So it is
important to give people the opportunity to express themselves.
Although I no longer work in IBM, we continue to remain good friends.