Adidas Assessment Tests

Adidas Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a service recovery assistant at Adidas. A customer’s case has sat untouched for a fortnight because the colleague who had it before you left the details in a note nobody picked up. The customer is on the phone, calm but tired of explaining herself, and wants to know why it has taken so long. You can put the case right this week. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Acknowledge the fortnight briefly and move straight on to what happens next, since what she needs most is the case actually settled.
   2. Explain that the case sat with a colleague who left the details in a note nobody picked up, so that she can see the delay was not caused by anybody she has spoken to.
   3. Apologise for the fortnight, say plainly that the case was not picked up when it should have been, and set out what you will do this week and when she will hear from you.
   4. Tell her the case was held up by the way work is passed between colleagues, and that a change to how notes are handled is being looked at.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Apologise for the fortnight, say plainly that the case was not picked up when it should have been, and set out what you will do this week and when she will hear from you.

   Least effective: B. Explain that the case sat with a colleague who left the details in a note nobody picked up, so that she can see the delay was not caused by anybody she has spoken to.

   A: Answers the question in passing: the apology is real, and she is moved on before she has heard why it happened.

   B: Blames a named colleague to the customer: the explanation buys your own standing with her at another person's expense, and tells her the business is a set of individuals rather than one organisation.

   D: Answers a personal question with a process description: it is accurate and it leaves her with a policy explanation instead of an apology and a date.

   The most effective response is to apologise for the fortnight, say plainly that the case was not picked up when it should have been, and set out what happens this week: it answers what she asked, it takes responsibility on behalf of the business rather than for yourself alone, and it gives her a date to hold you to. It beats acknowledging the fortnight briefly and moving on, because she asked why and a passing apology is what has tired her out. It beats describing how work is passed between colleagues, because a process answer is not an apology and gives her nothing to expect. The least effective response is telling her which colleague left the note nobody picked up: it buys your own credibility with her by handing her a person to be angry with, which is a different kind of wrong from dodging the question or from answering it bureaucratically. The principle: own the failure as the organisation’s, and never make a customer a witness against a colleague.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are a supply chain graduate at Adidas. You produce a weekly report that a planner uses to set orders. For three weeks running one line has come out short of what the sites asked for, and you have corrected it by hand each time without saying so. The planner reads the corrected number and is happy with it. Sending this week’s report is a five-minute job. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Correct the line by hand again this week and start keeping a note of each correction, so that there is a record to show somebody if it happens for a fourth or fifth week.
   2. Send the report with the pattern set out in the covering note, and take the three weeks of corrections to the planner today, since he is the one setting orders from that line.
   3. Send the report with the line corrected as usual, without mentioning that the same line has now been short three weeks running.
   4. Stop correcting the line and send the raw figure this week, so that the shortfall shows up in the planner's own numbers and he raises it himself.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Send the report with the pattern set out in the covering note, and take the three weeks of corrections to the planner today, since he is the one setting orders from that line.

   Least effective: C. Send the report with the line corrected as usual, without mentioning that the same line has now been short three weeks running.

   A: Gathers evidence instead of raising it: the pattern is already three weeks old, and the planner keeps setting orders from a number somebody is quietly repairing.

   C: Withholds a pattern the reader is entitled to: the number looks trustworthy precisely because the repair is invisible, and the person who could fix the cause does not know there is one.

   D: Makes a point by letting something fail: the planner sets an order from a figure you know to be wrong, and learns about a three-week problem the hard way.

   The most effective response is to send the report with the pattern set out in the covering note and take the three weeks of corrections to the planner today: he is setting orders from that line, the repeated shortfall is the actual finding, and a five-minute job does not become a reason to keep it to yourself. It beats correcting it again and starting a note, because the evidence needed to raise it has existed for three weeks already. It beats sending the raw figure so the problem shows itself, because that teaches the planner by damaging his order. The least effective response is sending the corrected report and saying nothing about three weeks of shortfalls: the correction makes the number look sound, so nobody investigates a cause that is still there, which is a different kind of wrong from gathering evidence too long or from proving a point. The principle: a problem you have quietly worked around is still a problem, and the person relying on the output owns it with you.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a scheduling coordinator at Adidas. A team member has asked for a weekend off in three weeks’ time and needs to know soon because she wants to book something. The manager who approves these is away until Thursday and has not seen the request. Requests like hers are usually agreed, but two other people have already been given that weekend. She has asked you today whether she can go ahead and book. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell her the request is as good as approved and that the weekend will be fine, since requests like hers are nearly always agreed once the manager sees them.
   2. Tell her the request is with the manager, that two others already have that weekend, and that you will have an answer for her by Thursday evening.
   3. Tell her you cannot say anything until the manager is back, and leave it there so that nothing you say can be taken as an answer either way.
   4. Tell her to book something refundable and say you will try to sort the rota out afterwards if the manager turns the request down.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell her the request is with the manager, that two others already have that weekend, and that you will have an answer for her by Thursday evening.

   Least effective: A. Tell her the request is as good as approved and that the weekend will be fine, since requests like hers are nearly always agreed once the manager sees them.

   A: Gives a certainty you have not got: two people already have that weekend, so the one thing that might make this request different is the thing she is told not to worry about.

   C: Withholds what you do know to stay safe: she is planning something, and the fact that two people already have that weekend is exactly what would help her plan.

   D: Commits somebody else's decision on her behalf: the booking is safer, and a manager who has not been asked is expected to make the rota fit.

   The most effective response is to tell her the request is with the manager, that two others already have that weekend, and that she will have an answer by Thursday evening: she gets the true state of it, the one complication that might change the answer, and a date, which together are what let her decide about booking. It beats saying you cannot comment until the manager is back, because the two existing bookings are useful to her now. It beats telling her to book something refundable, because it still expects a manager who has not been asked to make the rota fit afterwards. The least effective response is telling her it is as good as approved and the weekend will be fine: the complication that makes her case different is waved away, which is a different kind of wrong from telling her nothing or from over-promising a fix. The principle: tell somebody what is actually known, complications included, and give them a date rather than a comfort.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are an availability analyst at Adidas. A report you use every week double counts one type of transfer, which makes availability look better than it is. You have twice messaged the team who own the report and heard nothing. Colleagues in three areas use the same report to decide what to order. Your own workaround takes ten minutes a week and nobody else knows about it. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Send the fault on to the reporting team a third time and take it off your own list, since the report belongs to them and you have now told them twice.
   2. Write up your workaround and share it with the three areas, so that everybody can correct the number for themselves until the report is fixed.
   3. Tell the three areas what the fault does to the number, and take it to the reporting team's manager with the two unanswered messages, since nothing else has moved them.
   4. Keep applying your own correction and wait for the reporting team to reply, since chasing a third time and going over their heads would both be premature.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Tell the three areas what the fault does to the number, and take it to the reporting team's manager with the two unanswered messages, since nothing else has moved them.

   Least effective: A. Send the fault on to the reporting team a third time and take it off your own list, since the report belongs to them and you have now told them twice.

   A: Passes it on and stops caring: two messages have already vanished, a third changes nothing, and the three areas ordering from the report still do not know.

   B: Spreads the repair instead of the fix: every area now spends ten minutes a week on a fault that still nobody owns.

   D: Waits on a team that has ignored two messages: your own numbers are right, and three areas keep ordering from a figure that is not.

   The most effective response is to tell the three areas what the fault does to the number and take it to the reporting team’s manager with the two unanswered messages: the people making decisions stop using a wrong figure today, and the fix goes to somebody with the standing to make it happen. It beats sharing your workaround with the three areas, because that spends everybody’s time on a fault that still has no owner. It beats waiting for a reply, because two messages have already gone unanswered while the ordering carries on. The least effective response is sending it a third time and taking it off your list: nothing about a third message is different, and the areas ordering from the report are still not told, which is a different kind of wrong from spreading the workaround or from waiting. The principle: when the owner will not act, protect the people using the output and escalate with the evidence of what you already tried.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are a stock control assistant at Adidas. The same line has shown a discrepancy at count on four occasions in six weeks, always in the same direction and always in the same area. Each time it has been written off as a counting error. You have now checked and the counts were done correctly. Discrepancies of this size and pattern are supposed to be reported to the loss prevention team. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Hand the four counts to the colleague who covers that area on Thursdays, since he knows the line better than you do, and consider your part in it finished.
   2. Keep watching the line for another two counts to be sure the pattern is real, since four occasions could still turn out to be an unfortunate run of coincidences.
   3. Raise it with your supervisor and let her decide whether it goes any further, without mentioning that the counts themselves have now been checked and are sound.
   4. Report the four counts to the loss prevention team today with the checking you have done, since a pattern like that is what the reporting route exists for, and tell your supervisor.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Report the four counts to the loss prevention team today with the checking you have done, since a pattern like that is what the reporting route exists for, and tell your supervisor.

   Least effective: A. Hand the four counts to the colleague who covers that area on Thursdays, since he knows the line better than you do, and consider your part in it finished.

   A: Passes a reportable pattern on without owning it: the colleague has no idea it is four occurrences or that it should be reported, so the one person who knew both facts has stepped out of it.

   B: Waits for certainty that a report does not require: two more counts is three more weeks, and the threshold for reporting was passed some time ago.

   C: Escalates without the fact that changes the decision: she is asked to judge a pattern while the one thing that rules out a counting error is left out.

   The most effective response is to report the four counts to the loss prevention team today with your checking attached, and tell your supervisor you have done it: the pattern is exactly what the reporting route exists for, your checking is what makes it more than a suspicion, and nobody is surprised later. It beats waiting for two more counts, because the threshold was passed weeks ago and waiting adds three weeks. It beats raising it with your supervisor while leaving out that the counts were checked, because that is the fact the decision turns on. The least effective response is handing the four counts to the Thursday colleague and treating your part as finished: he does not know it is four occurrences or that it is reportable, so the only person holding both facts has stepped out, which is a different kind of wrong from waiting too long or from telling somebody too little. The principle: when something crosses a reporting line, take it there yourself, with what you know attached.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a supplier quality assistant at Adidas. A site has told you in passing that two pallets from a supplier arrived with the wrong labels last week and they simply relabelled them. Wrong labels are supposed to be reported so the supplier can find the cause. The site did not say whether they had reported it, and the supplier’s next delivery is on Thursday. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Assume the site has already reported it, since they found the problem themselves and would hardly have relabelled two pallets and then left the supplier in the dark.
   2. Check today whether a report was raised, raise one yourself if not, and tell the supplier before Thursday's delivery so that the cause can be looked at.
   3. Raise a report yourself straight away without checking, since a duplicate report costs nothing and the supplier needs to know before Thursday in any case.
   4. Mention it to your manager and leave her to decide whether it needs a report, since it was second hand and the site has not asked you to do anything.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Check today whether a report was raised, raise one yourself if not, and tell the supplier before Thursday's delivery so that the cause can be looked at.

   Least effective: A. Assume the site has already reported it, since they found the problem themselves and would hardly have relabelled two pallets and then left the supplier in the dark.

   A: Assumes a report exists rather than looking: it takes one message to check, and Thursday's delivery arrives with the cause unexamined because nobody did.

   C: Acts without the one check that shapes the action: a duplicate splits the supplier's investigation across two reports and neither has the full picture.

   D: Passes a simple check upwards: she has to ask the site the same question you could have asked this morning, and Thursday is closer.

   The most effective response is to check today whether a report was raised, raise one yourself if not, and tell the supplier before Thursday: it costs a message, it produces exactly one report, and the supplier gets the chance to find the cause before the next delivery. It beats raising a report without checking, because two reports split the investigation. It beats handing it to your manager, because she has to make the same one minute enquiry. The least effective response is assuming the site has reported it: nobody looks, Thursday arrives with the cause unexamined, and the assumption is made by the one person who heard about it, which is a different kind of wrong from acting too quickly or from escalating something small. The principle: when a report may or may not exist, the cheap thing to do is find out.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a commercial finance assistant at Adidas. A business customer disputes the amount on his account and does not accept your explanation of how it was worked out. You have an internal pricing sheet in front of you that shows the calculation clearly. It is marked internal and includes what other customers pay. He is threatening to take his business elsewhere and wants an answer today. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell him the calculation is confidential and that the amount on the account stands as it is, and suggest he takes the whole question up with his account manager if he remains unhappy.
   2. Write out the calculation for his own account in your own words, show him each step and what it is based on, and check that it now makes sense to him.
   3. Offer him a credit to settle the dispute without going through the calculation, since the argument is costing more time than the amount in question is worth.
   4. Send him the internal pricing sheet so he can see the calculation for himself and check that nothing has been left out of the explanation you gave him.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Write out the calculation for his own account in your own words, show him each step and what it is based on, and check that it now makes sense to him.

   Least effective: D. Send him the internal pricing sheet so he can see the calculation for himself and check that nothing has been left out of the explanation you gave him.

   A: Answers a reasonable question with a closed door: he is told the sum is right and given nothing that would let him see why.

   C: Buys off a question instead of answering it: he still does not understand his bill, and the next one will produce the same call.

   D: Breaches a confidence to win an argument: the sheet carries what other customers pay, and settling one dispute with it exposes every one of them.

   The most effective response is to write out the calculation for his own account in your own words, show each step and check that it makes sense: he gets the transparency he is asking for, about his own account, and the dispute is settled by explanation rather than by concession. It beats telling him the calculation is confidential, because that answers a fair question with a closed door. It beats offering a credit to end the argument, because he still does not understand the bill and will ring again next month. The least effective response is sending him the internal pricing sheet: it contains what other customers pay, so one dispute is settled by exposing everybody else’s terms, which is a different kind of wrong from being unhelpful or from paying to make a question go away. The principle: give a customer everything about their own position, and never anything about anybody else’s.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a service recovery assistant at Adidas. A customer has rung about an order that has gone wrong twice. He has already been passed between three people this morning and is audibly at the end of his patience. His case is genuinely a complaints matter rather than a service one, and complaints have a queue of about a day. You can see the whole history in front of you. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Take the details yourself, tell him what you can put right today and what has to go to complaints, and raise the case there with the history attached.
   2. Explain that complaints handle cases like his, offer either to raise it for him or to give him the reference, and let him choose which he wants.
   3. Deal with the whole thing yourself outside the complaints process, since he has been passed around enough and the outcome will be quicker that way.
   4. Transfer the customer straight to the complaints team while he is still on the line, since they own cases like his and can hear the history from him directly.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Take the details yourself, tell him what you can put right today and what has to go to complaints, and raise the case there with the history attached.

   Least effective: D. Transfer the customer straight to the complaints team while he is still on the line, since they own cases like his and can hear the history from him directly.

   B: Offers a choice where a decision was needed: after three transfers he wants somebody to take the case, not another option to weigh.

   C: Keeps a case that needs the other route: it feels kinder, and his complaint never enters the system that records and answers complaints.

   D: Hands the customer on rather than the case: he becomes the fourth transfer of the morning and repeats a history that is already written down in front of you.

   The most effective response is to take the details yourself, tell him what you can put right today and what has to go to complaints, and raise it there with the history attached: the case reaches the right route, the customer stops carrying it, and something happens today rather than tomorrow. It beats offering him the choice of raising it himself, because after three transfers he needs somebody to take it rather than another decision to make. It beats dealing with the whole thing outside the complaints process, because his complaint then never enters the system meant to answer it. The least effective response is transferring him to complaints while he is on the line: he becomes the fourth handover of the morning and retells a history that is written down in front of you, which is a different kind of wrong from making him do the chasing or from keeping the case improperly. The principle: move the case, not the customer.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a commercial finance assistant at Adidas. Two colleagues you work with, one in trading and one in supply, have fallen out over a promotion whose cost came in well above plan. Each has told you separately that the other changed a number without saying so. Both have asked you what the other said. The figure has to be explained in Monday’s review, and you are the person who holds both versions of the file. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Ask each of them separately to walk you through their version of the change, then decide yourself which account the file supports and take that to Monday's review.
   2. Write up what the file shows and send it straight to the reviewer before Monday, leaving the two of them to sort out between themselves how the change happened and who made it.
   3. Tell each of them what the other has been saying about the change, so that both know where they stand before the review on Monday.
   4. Put both versions of the file in front of the two of them together and say what changed and when, so that they agree between them what Monday's review is told about the cost.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Put both versions of the file in front of the two of them together and say what changed and when, so that they agree between them what Monday's review is told about the cost.

   Least effective: C. Tell each of them what the other has been saying about the change, so that both know where they stand before the review on Monday.

   A: Substitutes your own judgement for theirs: you arbitrate between two colleagues in private, and whichever way it lands, the loser hears the verdict at the review.

   B: Avoids the difficult conversation: the number is explained and the working relationship the next promotion depends on is left exactly as it is.

   C: Personalises the disagreement: it turns a question about a figure into a question about two people's accounts of each other, and does it in the way least likely to survive either of them repeating it.

   The most effective response is to put both versions of the file in front of the two of them together and ask them to agree what the review is told: the disagreement is about what the file shows, the file is in front of everybody, and the people who have to work together next month settle it themselves. It beats writing it up and sending it to the reviewer, because Monday is covered and nothing between the two colleagues is. It beats hearing each version separately and deciding which the file supports, because a private arbitration by the most junior person present leaves one of them told they were wrong by you. The least effective response is telling each of them what the other has been saying: the argument stops being about the promotion cost and becomes about what each said behind the other’s back, which is a different kind of wrong from ducking the conversation or over-reaching in it. The principle: put the evidence in front of both parties at once, and let the disagreement be about the thing rather than about each other.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a shift supervisor at Adidas. Two of your team have fallen out over a rota change that moved one of them off Fridays. Each has told you the change was the other’s doing. In fact it was made by the scheduling team for reasons neither knows. Both are refusing to swap cover for each other, which is making the week harder for everybody. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Get the two of them together, explain that the change came from scheduling and why, and ask them to agree how cover works between them for the rest of the month.
    2. Tell each of them separately that the other had nothing to do with it, since a conversation between the three of you would be more heat than it is worth.
    3. Rearrange the cover yourself so that the two of them do not have to rely on each other, which takes the immediate pressure off the rest of the week.
    4. Promise both of them that the rota change will be reversed next month, which stops the argument and gets everybody covering for each other again.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: A. Get the two of them together, explain that the change came from scheduling and why, and ask them to agree how cover works between them for the rest of the month.

    Least effective: D. Promise both of them that the rota change will be reversed next month, which stops the argument and gets everybody covering for each other again.

    B: Corrects the facts and leaves the relationship: both know they were wrong about the cause, and neither has said anything to the other.

    C: Designs around the fallout: the week runs, and two people who work the same shifts are formally kept apart by their supervisor.

    D: Buys peace with something nobody has agreed: the change belongs to scheduling, and next month both of them learn that your word was worth nothing.

    The most effective response is to get the two of them together, explain that the change came from scheduling and why, and ask them to agree how cover works for the rest of the month: the false belief that started it is removed in front of both, and the thing that actually has to work again, which is the cover between them, is what they are asked to settle. It beats telling them separately, because neither has to say anything to the other and the working relationship stays broken. It beats rearranging the cover around them, because their supervisor has formally kept them apart. The least effective response is promising the change will be reversed next month: it is not yours to reverse, and when it is not, both of them learn what your word is worth, which is a different kind of wrong from correcting them privately or from working around them. The principle: end a dispute with the truth in front of both parties, never with a promise you cannot keep.