Teamwork Motivation Interview Questions And Answers

Behavioral interview questions about teamwork can be general or specific. For entry-level positions you can expect the questions to be more general. The following are a few examples of general teamwork interview questions:
► Describe for me a team project you worked on?
► Tell me about a team experience that you found rewarding?
► Tell me why you consider yourself a team player?

Teamwork related interview questions are designed to test your ability to interact and work with others in a productive manner. Interviewers want to find out if you can deal with diverse and often difficult personalities, if you can communicate effectively, if you can collaborate, mediate, motivate, or even lead when necessary. While there are no "right" answers to the questions above, each one provides you the opportunity to demonstrate that you're a team player.

Select a group project you participated in during the past and explain your role and responsibilities. Provide a concise answer without neglecting to discuss important details about your participation in the project. It's fine to discuss project goals and metrics, how you communicated with team members, project conclusions, and any other relevant facts. The following is a good answer to this question.
I worked as a quality assurance manager for ABC engineering firm from 2002 to 2008. It was my job to make sure all project guidelines were followed and that product specs were being met. It was also my responsibility to communicate directly with the project manager, COO, and about 20 other team members. When project guidelines were missed or ignored, or project phases didn't meet spec, I communicated my findings to the project manager who in turn took the necessary action to fix the problems.

There will always be disagreements when working in teams. Regardless of what team members disagree about, each individual is responsible to execute their duties, and project goals must be achieved. Employers recruit employees who can compromise and solve problems. This question could be answered as follows:
I have worked in teams where individual members feuded and disagreed with other members. I typically ignored these issues at first since my colleagues usually resolved their differences quickly. If problems were not resolved quickly, I met individually and together with each feuding party and recommend a workable compromise. I always tried to maintain an objective perspective and not involve myself directly in the conflict.

Project leaders are assigned important responsibilities. Managers rely on them to ensure work is performed on time and quality standards are adhered to. Job candidates must provide answers that demonstrate their competency and maturity. The following is an example of an effective reply to this question.
I have handled and resolved various problems while managing group projects. To resolve problems, I gathered data and relevant facts, determined root causes, spoke with team members, and developed solutions that presented as suggestions. I always tried to help team members see the solution that I felt were self evident without forcing the solution upon them.

Team members often feud even though they're required to act professionally and work together. Some team members have professional disagreements, while others have conflicting personalities. If you've feuded with a colleague in the past, whether professionally or personally, be honest with the interviewer and explain in detail the situation. The following is an example of an effective answer.
I feuded with a colleague while I worked at (identify organization) as a (identify position). Even though we disagreed about (identify conflict), I worked with my colleague to resolve the problem. To do so, I communicated openly with him or her and agreed to compromise and modify my behavior. The most effective way to resolve a problem is through open communication. While discussing the problem with my colleague, I respected his or her perspective and listened attentively.

When resolving problems among team members, I typically meet with them individually and collectively to collect facts and propose a compromise. I typically try to maintain an objective perspective and not involve myself in the conflict itself. However, on one occasion I felt compelled to take sides in a disagreement and directly reprimand a subordinate for breaking with company protocol and ignoring project guidelines. The subordinate quit the next day. If faced with a similar situation today, I'd try to find a less confrontational solution.

It's not uncommon for a team member to have had difficulty working with a manager, so if you an experience share it. Just make sure to use the experience to showcase your ability to deal with conflict in a productive mannner. The following is an example of an effective answer to this question.
I had a rocky start with a new project manager who was hired to replace our previous project manager. The new project manager had a very different personality than the previous project manager. He was gruff, unyielding, and it was his way or the high way. Many team members, including myself, felt like we were always walking on egg shells.

One day when the project manager got in my face I decided to confront him. Initially, I want to knock his block off. Instead, I maintained my cool and simply explained how myself and the rest of the team was feeling. I then closed my mouth and just listened. I was surprized by his response. He proceeded to the explain that our project was months behind schedule. It was way over budget and that if it didn't get turned around quickly that he, along with the rest of us, would likely be let go--like the previous project manager. He apologized for having been difficult but wanting me to know that he also felt like he was in a difficult situation. He then surprised me again by asking if I had any ideas as to how we could turn things around and increase productivity.
Even though the new project manager's personality didn't change much, I gained a new appreciation for why he acted the way he did. I even came to agree that maybe he was the type of manager that was needed to head our project.

Don't skip answering these above questions. It would be wise to redefine and reshape your targets before any activity is launched.

It goes without saying that selecting the right mix of talents, expertise and leaders for the team will ensure that the work they do leads to success.
And the right mix of people for any specific teamwork is the most important part of the process.

Make note of - the leaders, the talents, the initiators, the hard-workers, the professionals, the creators, the individualists, those who are mature/responsible and those who really need directions to get the job done. Conduct your research and select the right mixture.
These insights of your team members will help you on deciding who needs extra motivation and how to start motivating these team members.

Ask them on a regular basis and once you understand their professional needs and goals you are on the right track to know what can motivate them.
If you understand your employees, they will take more interest in understanding what you want from them.

Your ability to demonstrate you're a team player will also depend on how well you understand what "teamwork" means for the position you're seeking. Before the interview, carefully review the job description so you understand what "teamwork" means for the position and the company. For example, if you're apply for a position with a start-up, they may be looking for someone who has the ability to wear different hats and interact with employees and clients on many different levels. For managerial positions, team leadership may be the exclusive focus of interview questions. For an entry-level position, the interviewer may simply want to find out how well you get along with others.

Set achievable goals with them.
Share your vision with the team members in order to drive initial teamwork motivation.

Find out what motivates team members. Brings each and every one of them to the highest level of performance.

You, as a team leader, have to delegate tasks to the right person. For instance - if you assign these hard or uninteresting activities to a leader (in nature) in your team, don't expect for the best. How do you expect him to see thus work leading him to any significant professional growth? In time, he begins to resist the task.

When you turn work over to some of your team members, you still maintain a certain degree of responsibility. Set clear expectations and responsibilities for each one of your team members. If things are not clearly understood, they may unknowingly miss the target, and then fail for not doing what they have never really understood.

If you offer no recognition for a job well done by your team members, the likely scenario is that the next time they will not do their jobs as expected. Why? Because if their good performance is not appreciated, they will think; Why bother? No one appreciates it anyway.
However, don't limit yourself to positive feedback's only. If they fail to achieve something, conduct a lesson learned procedure.
As for incentives, feeling that you belong is an incentive too. Remember that other employees and teams in the company watch your team performance and people would want to learn from/join the success.
You may present a clear result for high level of performance in order to drive team motivation.
Financial reward is not always the best answer for motivating a team. Bonuses are not necessarily motivators as you have to think of the next tasks - they would expect nothing less than these incentives. A simple thank you or a small reward is more than enough.

If one is weak, others can support or handle the work - So, it usually builds up power-resource for the organization.

The more people work in an harmony together, create positive team environment, help and support each other and delegate tasks/duties the more they learn and step away to become better workers in their own jobs.

Teams can create better communication and respectful relationships among employees.

The candidate should reveal a dedication and passion towards their work.

Consider the job you are interviewing for. If it requires a lot of teamwork then you should probably highlight that in answering this question. Similarly if it's largely independent then you should highlight your ability to work independently.

Be a bit careful here, because quite often the interviewer will be trying to understand if you give credit where credit is due. If your situation was truly an individual effort that's fine, but if not make sure you talk about the contribution of your team members. Highlight what specifically your role was on the project and how you contributed to it's success.