McKinsey PEI Team conflics

behavioral conflict Fit Interview Stories McKinsey McKinsey PEI PEI
New answer on May 11, 2020
5 Answers
3.0 k Views
Anonymous A asked on Sep 30, 2019

Hello,

I have an upcoming interview with McKinsey and one of the PEI questions that often come up is about managing a team conflict. I want to use the story of how I turned a senior project stakeholder who was initially dismissive of me into a strong advocate. However, I feel my story is not really answering the question as it is more a personal conflict than a team conflict. What do you guys think and what could be examples of team conflicts?

Overview of answers

Upvotes
  • Upvotes
  • Date ascending
  • Date descending
Best answer
Francesco
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Nov 07, 2019
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Anonymous,

I would indeed consider another example for this particular question given the question explicitly mentions a team. You could use examples of part of the team arguing with another part due to:

  • Different vision
  • Bad behavior
  • Mistakes of team members

The structure for a conflict question in a team is exactly the same as for the one with a specific person:

  • Describe the situation the problem is related to
  • Present the negative consequence if you would have failed
  • Show your task and action taken. Don’t show you convinced immediately the team members, but rather show push back
  • Show the rationale for your actions
  • Present the results

Hope this helps,
Francesco

Was this answer helpful?
Udayan
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Sep 30, 2019
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /6 years McKinsey recruiting experience

Hi,

I would agree with your assessment. A team conflict is typically related to conflicts within a team environment. Examples could include disagreements on approach/solution, people not pulling their weight or general discord within a team. One way to use this story would be to look at if this issue in particular caused any team related conflicts and build it out with that focus

Udayan

Was this answer helpful?
Robert
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Sep 30, 2019
McKinsey offers w/o final round interviews - 100% risk-free - 10+ years MBB coaching experience - Multiple book author

Hi Anonymous,

There is no need to restrict yourself to "team conflicts" for insightful leadership situations, it's much more about interpersonally challenging situations. Team-wide aspects for leadership examples include

  • How to initially form a team (especially if the team is working on a pro-bono basis without additional financial benefits)
  • How to align the team and make everyone feel comfortable with the "big picture/vision/mission" of the venture, so that everyone can see himself part of it
  • How to motivate the team after a severe setback (e.g. project funding was unexpectedly cut because of economic downturn, change of management etc.)
  • How you coach/mentor the team to make the whole team successful
  • ...

Hope that helps as some inspiration! Since it's a common question, I also included those details also in the Ultimate McKinsey PEI Prep ebook, in case you need more guidance on the McKinsey PEI.

Robert

Was this answer helpful?
Vlad
Expert
replied on Sep 30, 2019
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

I would look at this broader:

  • A conflict = someone disagreed with you and you had to persuade him
  • Team = in order to persuade someone with a high position in the company you need to persuade his team first. And then they will be your advocates to persuade this person. Or even better when they take the ownership and present your ideas themselves

Best

Was this answer helpful?
Clara
Expert
Content Creator
replied on May 11, 2020
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

On top of the insights already shared in the post, next week will be pusblished in PrepLounge´s Shop material related.

In concrete, the "Integrated FIT guide for MBB". It provides an end-to-end preparation for all three MBB interviews, tackling each firms particularities and combining key concepts review and a hands-on methodology. Following the book, the candidate will prepare his/her stories by practicing with over 50 real questions and leveraging special frameworks and worksheets that guide step-by-step, developed by the author and her experience as a Master in Management professor and coach. Finally, as further guidance, the guide encompasses over 20 examples from real candidates.

Here I leave you the link > https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/tests-2/integrated-fit-guide-for-mbb-34

Feel free to PM me for disccount codes!

Hope you find it useful!

Best,

Clara

Was this answer helpful?
Francesco gave the best answer

Francesco

Content Creator
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching
4,512
Meetings
43,950
Q&A Upvotes
387
Awards
5.0
1616 Reviews
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or fellow student?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0 = Not likely
10 = Very likely