RBC Problem-Solving and Decision-Making 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A customer service agent receives three urgent complaints simultaneously. The best way to prioritize is to:
- Handle them in the order received regardless of severity
- Assess urgency and impact, then address the highest-risk issue first (Correct answer)
- Randomly pick one to start with
- Escalate all three immediately without attempting resolution
Correct answer: Assess urgency and impact, then address the highest-risk issue first
Triage-based prioritization ensures that the most damaging issues are contained first, reducing overall harm to customers and the bank.
Question 2: Which of the following best illustrates 'lateral thinking'?
- Following a proven step-by-step procedure exactly
- Approaching a problem from an unconventional angle to find a creative solution (Correct answer)
- Delegating the problem to a specialist
- Documenting the problem without attempting to solve it
Correct answer: Approaching a problem from an unconventional angle to find a creative solution
Lateral thinking deliberately breaks from linear reasoning to explore unexpected perspectives, often yielding innovative solutions.
Question 3: An employee discovers a small but consistent data entry error in monthly reports. The BEST response is to:
- Correct today's report and move on
- Identify when the error started, correct all affected records, and fix the process causing it (Correct answer)
- Assume the error is insignificant and ignore it
- Report the error anonymously to avoid accountability
Correct answer: Identify when the error started, correct all affected records, and fix the process causing it
Comprehensive remediation — correcting historical data and fixing the underlying process — prevents the error from propagating further.
Question 4: In expected value analysis, which option is preferred?
- The option with the highest possible outcome, regardless of probability
- The option with the highest probability-weighted average outcome (Correct answer)
- The option with the lowest risk, regardless of potential gain
- The option chosen by the most experienced team member
Correct answer: The option with the highest probability-weighted average outcome
Expected value multiplies each outcome by its probability and sums the results, providing a rational basis for comparing options under uncertainty.
Question 5: A supervisor notices two employees consistently disagreeing, which slows team decisions. The most effective intervention is to:
- Remove one employee from the team
- Facilitate a structured discussion to surface and address the underlying disagreement (Correct answer)
- Ignore the conflict and hope it resolves itself
- Make all future decisions unilaterally to bypass the disagreement
Correct answer: Facilitate a structured discussion to surface and address the underlying disagreement
Structured facilitation addresses the source of interpersonal conflict and often converts disagreement into productive debate that improves decision quality.
Question 6: Which of the following is the most reliable indicator that a problem-solving process has been effective?
- All team members felt good about the process
- The solution was implemented quickly
- The problem has not recurred after a meaningful period of time (Correct answer)
- A senior executive approved the solution
Correct answer: The problem has not recurred after a meaningful period of time
Non-recurrence over a sufficient timeframe is the ultimate validation that the root cause was correctly identified and durably resolved.
Question 7: When a branch manager must make a high-stakes decision with incomplete information, the recommended approach is to:
- Wait indefinitely until complete information is available
- Make the best decision possible with available data while planning to monitor and adjust (Correct answer)
- Flip a coin to avoid bias
- Delegate the decision downward to avoid accountability
Correct answer: Make the best decision possible with available data while planning to monitor and adjust
Decisive action with a monitoring plan is preferable to paralysis, as waiting for perfect information often forecloses timely options.
RBC Problem-Solving and Decision-Making 5
A customer service agent receives three urgent complaints simultaneously.
The best way to prioritize is to: