Korn Ferry Assessment Situational Judgment 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Your manager asks you to complete a report by end of day, but you realize mid-afternoon that the data you need is held by a colleague who is out sick. What do you do?
- Contact your manager immediately, explain the situation, and propose a revised timeline or alternative data source (Correct answer)
- Submit the report with incomplete data and note the missing sections
- Wait until your colleague returns and submit the report late without notifying anyone
- Ask another colleague to access the sick employee's files without permission
Correct answer: Contact your manager immediately, explain the situation, and propose a revised timeline or alternative data source
Proactively communicating blockers to your manager allows for timely problem-solving and maintains trust.
Question 2: During a team brainstorming session, a quieter colleague has an idea that gets overlooked when louder team members continue talking. What is the best response?
- Say nothing and let the discussion continue naturally
- Pause the discussion and invite the quieter colleague to share their idea with the group (Correct answer)
- Privately tell the quiet colleague their idea was good after the meeting
- Interrupt the louder members and insist they stop dominating
Correct answer: Pause the discussion and invite the quieter colleague to share their idea with the group
Inclusive leaders actively create space for all voices, which leads to better team outcomes.
Question 3: You notice that a process your team follows is inefficient and could be improved, but it was established by a senior leader. What is the most appropriate action?
- Ignore the issue since the senior leader designed the process
- Change the process on your own without telling anyone
- Complain to your peers about the inefficiency
- Document the inefficiency with data and propose the improvement to your manager (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Document the inefficiency with data and propose the improvement to your manager
Bringing evidence-based improvement ideas through proper channels demonstrates initiative and respect for organizational structure.
Question 4: A client calls you frustrated because a deliverable is two days late. You know the delay was caused by a different department. How do you handle the call?
- Apologize on behalf of the company, explain the situation honestly, and give a firm new delivery date (Correct answer)
- Tell the client it is the other department's fault and give them that department's contact
- Promise immediate delivery even if you are unsure it is feasible
- Ask the client to email their complaint so you can escalate it formally
Correct answer: Apologize on behalf of the company, explain the situation honestly, and give a firm new delivery date
Taking ownership with clients and providing a clear resolution plan reflects strong customer-facing professionalism.
Question 5: You are assigned to lead a cross-functional project team whose members all have competing departmental priorities. What is your first step?
- Immediately assign tasks and set deadlines without consulting the team
- Hold a kickoff meeting to align on goals, clarify roles, and surface potential conflicts early (Correct answer)
- Escalate to senior leadership to resolve the competing priorities before starting
- Work only with the members who seem most available and engaged
Correct answer: Hold a kickoff meeting to align on goals, clarify roles, and surface potential conflicts early
A structured kickoff that surfaces conflicts and aligns expectations sets cross-functional teams up for success.
Question 6: You receive critical feedback from your manager on a project you worked hard on and felt proud of. What is the most constructive response?
- Defend your decisions thoroughly to correct your manager's misunderstanding
- Accept the feedback without comment and make no changes
- Listen actively, ask clarifying questions, and develop a plan to address the feedback (Correct answer)
- Seek validation from peers before deciding whether to act on the feedback
Correct answer: Listen actively, ask clarifying questions, and develop a plan to address the feedback
Actively processing feedback and creating an action plan demonstrates growth mindset and professional maturity.
Question 7: Two team members come to you with a personal conflict that is affecting their collaboration. You are not their direct manager. What do you do?
- Take sides with the team member you know better
- Ignore it since it is not your responsibility as a non-manager
- Listen to both parties separately, help them identify common ground, and suggest escalating to a manager if unresolved (Correct answer)
- Announce the conflict in the next team meeting to get group input
Correct answer: Listen to both parties separately, help them identify common ground, and suggest escalating to a manager if unresolved
Helping teammates find common ground while preserving confidentiality shows interpersonal effectiveness and peer leadership.
Korn Ferry Assessment Situational Judgment 2
Your manager asks you to complete a report by end of day, but you realize mid-afternoon that the data you need is held by a colleague who is out sick.
What do you do?