Teamwork & collaboration

You are part of a small project team working to a tight deadline. A colleague who sits next to you is clearly struggling with their part of the work and is falling behind, which could delay the whole team. You have finished your own tasks for the day. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• ASay nothing, because how your colleague manages their own workload is their responsibility rather than yours
• BReport to the manager that your colleague is falling behind, so that the delay is recorded against them rather than the team
• COffer to help your colleague with their workload, or help them break the task down✓
• DLeave on time since your own work is complete

Answer: Offering practical help supports both the colleague and the shared team deadline, demonstrating collaboration and a focus on the collective goal before escalating.

During a team meeting, two colleagues begin to disagree strongly about how to approach a task, and the discussion is becoming heated and unproductive. You are a team member, not the chair. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• ASuggest the team pause and focus on the shared objective, then weigh both options on their merits✓
• BTell both colleagues firmly that they are being unprofessional and that the meeting cannot continue until they stop arguing
• CStay quiet and wait for the meeting chair to deal with it
• DPick the side you agree with to help settle the argument quickly

Answer: Refocusing on the shared goal and evaluating options objectively de-escalates the conflict while keeping the team productive and respectful.

A new graduate has just joined your team and seems unsure about the systems and processes everyone else takes for granted. You are busy but not at full capacity. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AWait until they ask you a specific question before helping, so that you do not undermine their confidence by assuming they are struggling
• BOffer to spend some time showing them the key systems and check in on them regularly✓
• CSuggest they shadow a colleague who has more spare capacity than you, so that your own work is not interrupted
• DSend them a link to the documentation and tell them to read it

Answer: Proactively orienting a new colleague and following up builds an effective, welcoming team and helps them become productive faster.

You disagree with the approach the rest of your team has agreed on for a piece of work, but you were outvoted in the discussion. The decision has now been made. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• ARefuse to contribute to work you disagree with, on the basis that you should not be asked to deliver an approach you argued against
• BSupport the agreed decision and raise your concerns constructively if real problems emerge✓
• CGo along with the decision publicly but quietly complete your part of the work in the way you originally preferred
• DRaise your objections with colleagues afterwards so that everyone knows you were against the approach from the start

Answer: Once a fair decision is made, committing to it while staying ready to flag genuine issues balances team unity with professional honesty.

A colleague takes sole credit in front of senior managers for a piece of work that you both contributed to equally. You feel frustrated. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• ALet the matter drop and say nothing, on the basis that raising it now would only make you look petty about something already finished
• BSpeak to your colleague privately to explain how it affected you and agree how to credit shared work in future✓
• CTake sole credit for the next joint piece of work to even things out
• DCorrect them publicly in the next meeting in front of the managers

Answer: A calm private conversation addresses the issue directly and preserves the working relationship without escalating or retaliating.

Your team uses a shared document to track progress, but you notice several colleagues are not updating it, making it hard to see the true status of the project. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AStop updating the tracker yourself, since there is little point maintaining it while several colleagues are ignoring it completely
• BFill in everyone else's sections yourself using your best guess at what they have completed, so that the tracker at least looks current
• CReport the colleagues to your manager for not updating it
• DRaise it with the team, explaining why keeping the tracker current helps everyone, and suggest a simple routine✓

Answer: Constructively explaining the shared benefit and proposing a workable routine addresses the root cause and keeps the whole team accountable.

You are working with a colleague from another department who communicates very differently from you and you keep misunderstanding each other. The work depends on you collaborating well. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AAsk your manager to assign someone else to work with them
• BHave an open conversation about how you each prefer to work and agree on a clear way to communicate✓
• CLimit contact and only communicate by email to avoid confusion
• DCarry on as you are and hope that the misunderstandings resolve themselves once you have worked together for longer

Answer: Openly agreeing on communication preferences resolves the friction and builds an effective cross-department working relationship.

A quieter member of your team rarely speaks up in meetings, but you suspect they have good ideas. You are leading the discussion today. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AInvite their input directly and create space for them to contribute✓
• BSpeak to them privately after the meeting to ask for their views, but make no change to how the discussion itself is run
• CAssume that if they had something worth contributing they would speak up in the meeting like everyone else does
• DAsk everyone to submit ideas only in writing instead

Answer: Actively inviting quieter members ensures all perspectives are heard and strengthens the team's decisions.

Your team has been asked to deliver a joint presentation, but one member wants to do it entirely their own way and is dismissive of others' suggestions. The deadline is approaching. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AEscalate the disagreement to your manager immediately so that they can instruct the team member to cooperate with everyone else
• BSplit the presentation into separate sections so that everyone can prepare their part in isolation without having to agree anything
• CStep back and let them take over the whole presentation, since avoiding conflict matters more with the deadline this close
• DAcknowledge their ideas, then propose the team agrees a shared structure that uses everyone's strengths✓

Answer: Valuing their input while steering toward a genuinely shared approach keeps the team cohesive and produces a stronger result.

A colleague is off sick unexpectedly and their urgent task now has no owner. The team is already stretched. You have some relevant knowledge of the task. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AFlag it to the team and offer to pick up or coordinate the urgent parts so nothing critical is missed✓
• BWait to see if the colleague returns soon
• CAssume someone else will deal with it
• DLeave it for the colleague to catch up on when they return

Answer: Proactively flagging the gap and helping cover the critical work protects the team's commitments during an unexpected absence.

You and a colleague have been assigned to peer-review each other's work. You find several errors in theirs but worry about damaging the relationship. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AMention only the smallest issues and skip the important ones
• BApprove the work to keep things friendly
• CQuietly correct the errors yourself before the review is submitted, so that your colleague never has to know about them
• DGive honest, specific and constructive feedback on the errors so they can be corrected✓

Answer: Honest, constructive feedback is the point of peer review and helps your colleague and the quality of the work.

Your team has just successfully delivered a difficult project. As you reflect, you realise one junior colleague's contribution was overlooked in the wrap-up. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AMake a point of recognising their contribution to the team and to your manager✓
• BSay nothing now, since the project has already been wrapped up and revisiting it would only sound like criticism
• CAssume they know their work was valued
• DTell the junior colleague privately that you appreciated their work, but leave the public record of the project as it stands

Answer: Visibly recognising overlooked contributions builds trust and motivation and shows fair, collaborative leadership.

A colleague consistently arrives late to team meetings, disrupting the start and frustrating others. You sit at the same level as them, not above. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AStart scheduling the meetings even earlier so that their late arrival no longer disrupts the most important items
• BMake a sarcastic comment when they next arrive late
• CSpeak to them privately, mention the impact of the lateness, and try to understand if there is a reason✓
• DReport them straight to the manager

Answer: A private, understanding conversation addresses the behaviour directly and respectfully before any escalation is needed.

You are asked to collaborate on a task with a colleague known for being territorial about their work and reluctant to share information. The task genuinely needs both of you. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AWork around the colleague and complete as much of the task on your own as you possibly can without their input
• BComplain to your manager that the colleague is difficult to work with, before you have even tried to work with them
• CLet them control everything to avoid friction
• DBuild rapport, clarify shared goals and each person's role, and agree how you will share information✓

Answer: Establishing shared goals, clear roles and an agreed way of sharing information sets the collaboration up to succeed.

You notice a colleague is about to send an important client deliverable that contains an error you happened to spot. They are confident it is finished and about to click send. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AQuickly and tactfully flag the error to them before it goes out✓
• BLet it go out and mention the error to them afterwards so that they can send a correction
• CSay nothing, since it is their deliverable and not your responsibility
• DTell your manager that your colleague was about to send out an incorrect client deliverable

Answer: Tactfully flagging the error before it is sent prevents harm to the client relationship and reflects good teamwork.

You are part of a cross-functional team where one department keeps missing its commitments, holding up everyone else. Frustration is building and people are starting to blame each other. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AEscalate the problem straight to senior management before anyone has tried to resolve it
• BRaise the issue constructively, seek to understand the cause of the delays, and work together on a solution✓
• CJoin in blaming the department that is behind
• DWork around the blocked department and ignore them

Answer: Understanding the cause and collaborating on a solution addresses the real problem and reduces the blame culture across the team.