How do you handle organizational changes (reorgs, leadership changes) that affect your team?
Why This Is Asked
Interviewers want to see how you support your team through uncertainty—providing stability, clarity, and psychological safety when things are in flux. They're assessing your ability to lead through change you may not control and to help your team adapt.
Key Points to Cover
- Providing as much clarity as you can, and being honest about what you don't know
- Listening to team concerns and addressing them where possible
- Maintaining focus on work and morale during the transition
- Modeling calm and adaptability
STAR Method Answer Template
Describe the context - what was happening, what team/company, what was at stake
What was your specific responsibility or challenge?
What specific steps did you take? Be detailed about YOUR actions
What was the outcome? Use metrics where possible. What did you learn?
đź’ˇ Tips
- Acknowledge that you may not have all the answers—show how you handle ambiguity
- Emphasize supporting the team emotionally and keeping them focused on what they can control
✍️ Example Response
STAR formatSituation: Our company announced a major reorg—our division was merging with another, and our VP was leaving. Rumors were flying: layoffs, role changes, new leadership. My team of 11 engineers was anxious. I didn't have many answers myself—the details were still being worked out at the exec level.
Task: I had to keep my team productive and psychologically safe during a period of high uncertainty. I couldn't control the outcome, but I could control how I showed up and what I communicated.
Action: I scheduled a team meeting the day after the announcement. I was honest: "Here's what I know, here's what I don't, and here's how we'll get more information." I shared the timeline we'd been given and committed to updating them within 24 hours of learning anything new. I created a simple FAQ doc and updated it as facts emerged. I increased 1:1 frequency to weekly for everyone and made space for people to vent or ask "what if" questions without judgment. I also doubled down on what we could control: we kept our sprint cadence, celebrated small wins, and I made sure our work was visible to incoming leadership so they understood our value. I modeled calm—even when I was uncertain, I didn't spiral in front of the team.
Result: We retained all 11 engineers through the transition. Our team's engagement score actually improved slightly, and the new leadership noted our stability during the change. I learned that people can tolerate uncertainty if they trust you're being straight with them and if they have something concrete to focus on.
🏢 Companies Known to Ask This
| Company | Variation / Focus |
|---|---|
| Amazon | Ownership — "Tell me about a time you led through ambiguity" |
| Navigating ambiguity, psychological safety | |
| Meta | Cross-functional alignment during reorgs |
| Microsoft | Growth mindset, customer focus amid change |
| Netflix | Context not control, self-sufficiency during uncertainty |
| Learning agility, coaching through transitions |