Influencing others in Operations roles is the ability to persuade, convince, and gain buy-in from stakeholders at all levels without necessarily having formal authority. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), effective influencing combines communication skills, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking to achieve operational objectives through others.

In Operations roles, influencing others is particularly critical as these professionals must often implement changes that affect multiple departments, secure resources for initiatives, and drive process improvements—all while navigating complex stakeholder environments. Unlike some roles with clear authority lines, Operations professionals frequently need to achieve results through collaboration and persuasion rather than directives.

The dimensions of influencing in Operations include stakeholder management, persuasive communication, relationship building, negotiation skills, data-driven argumentation, and adaptability in approach. How this competency manifests changes with experience level: entry-level professionals might focus on influencing team members for daily operational improvements, while senior leaders need to drive organizational transformation and influence executive decisions on strategic priorities.

For interviewers assessing this competency, listen for specific examples of how candidates have successfully gained support for operational initiatives, particularly when they faced resistance. The most telling responses will include details about their influencing approach, how they tailored their strategy to different stakeholders, and measurable results achieved through their influence. Focus on candidates who demonstrate a systematic approach to stakeholder management and show versatility in their influencing tactics.

Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you needed to influence stakeholders across multiple departments to implement an operational change or improvement.

Areas to Cover:

• The specific operational challenge or improvement opportunity
• Key stakeholders involved and their initial positions
• How the candidate identified and prioritized stakeholders
• Specific strategies used to influence different stakeholders
• How the candidate handled resistance or objections
• The outcome of their influencing efforts
• Lessons learned about effective influence in an operational context

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you tailor your approach differently for various stakeholders?
• What resistance did you encounter, and how did you address it?
• What would you do differently if you were to influence a similar initiative today?
• How did you measure the success of your influencing efforts?

Describe a situation where you had to convince leadership to allocate resources to an operational initiative that wasn't initially a priority for them.

Areas to Cover:

• The operational initiative and why it was important
• The initial resource constraints or priorities
• The candidate's approach to building a compelling case
• How they used data or other evidence to strengthen their position
• The specific communication strategies employed
• Any obstacles encountered during the process
• The ultimate outcome and business impact

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you determine what would resonate most with leadership?
• What specific data or metrics did you use to support your case?
• How did you balance the technical operational details with business language leadership would respond to?
• What was the most challenging aspect of influencing this decision?

Share an example of when you had to influence colleagues to adopt a new process or system that changed how they worked.

Areas to Cover:

• The nature of the process/system change and who was affected
• Initial reactions from those impacted by the change
• The candidate's strategy for gaining buy-in
• How they addressed concerns or resistance
• Specific techniques used to demonstrate value to different stakeholders
• How they monitored adoption and addressed ongoing issues
• Long-term results of the implementation

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you identify potential resistance points before beginning your influence efforts?
• What specific benefits did you emphasize to different stakeholder groups?
• How did you maintain momentum when enthusiasm waned during implementation?
• What feedback mechanisms did you establish to address concerns throughout the process?

Tell me about a time when you influenced a cross-functional team to prioritize an operational improvement that benefited the broader organization but required extra effort from their teams.

Areas to Cover:

• The operational improvement and its organizational benefits
• The composition of the cross-functional team
• The extra effort required from different functions
• The candidate's approach to influencing without direct authority
• How they built coalitions or found champions
• Techniques used to overcome objections
• The outcome and impact on the organization

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you frame the initiative differently for different functional teams?
• What incentives or benefits did you highlight to gain cooperation?
• How did you maintain relationships with team members who were initially resistant?
• What compromises did you make to achieve the broader goal?

Describe a situation where you had to influence someone who initially disagreed with your operational approach or recommendation.

Areas to Cover:

• The nature of the disagreement
• The stakeholder's position and why they held it
• The candidate's initial reaction to the disagreement
• Specific techniques used to understand the other perspective
• How they adapted their communication approach
• Steps taken to find common ground
• The resolution and relationship afterwards

Follow-Up Questions:

• What did you learn about the other person's perspective that helped you influence them?
• How did you maintain a constructive relationship during the disagreement?
• What specific piece of information or approach finally changed their mind?
• How has this experience affected your approach to influence in subsequent situations?

Tell me about a time when you used data or analytics to influence an important operational decision.

Areas to Cover:

• The operational decision that needed to be made
• Key stakeholders involved in the decision
• Types of data gathered and analysis conducted
• How the candidate presented the data effectively
• Challenges in getting others to accept the data-driven approach
• How they balanced data with other considerations
• The outcome of the decision-making process

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you ensure the data was compelling and understandable to different audiences?
• What resistance did you face to your data-driven approach?
• How did you handle stakeholders who had emotional or intuitive objections despite the data?
• What would you do differently in your data presentation next time?

Share an example of when you had to influence upward to get executive support for addressing an operational risk or challenge.

Areas to Cover:

• The operational risk or challenge identified
• Why executive support was necessary
• The candidate's preparation and approach
• How they framed the issue in business terms
• Specific techniques used to gain executive attention
• How they addressed questions or concerns
• The ultimate response and results

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you determine the best timing and forum to raise this issue?
• What specific aspects of your presentation resonated most with executives?
• How did you follow up after initial discussions to maintain momentum?
• What stakeholder mapping or groundwork did you do before approaching executives?

Describe a situation where you had to influence a team to embrace a significant change in operational priorities or direction.

Areas to Cover:

• The change in operational priorities or direction
• Initial team reaction to the change
• The candidate's influence strategy
• How they created a compelling vision
• Specific techniques used to address concerns
• How they motivated the team through the transition
• The outcome and team performance after the change

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you identify and leverage early adopters or champions within the team?
• What resistance did you encounter and how did you address it?
• How did you make the change feel less threatening to those concerned?
• What specific milestones or wins did you celebrate to reinforce the new direction?

Tell me about a time when you had to influence peers or stakeholders to make short-term sacrifices for long-term operational improvements.

Areas to Cover:

• The operational improvement and required short-term sacrifices
• Key stakeholders affected and their initial concerns
• The candidate's approach to demonstrating long-term value
• How they built trust in the eventual payoff
• Specific tactics used to maintain commitment during challenging periods
• How they kept stakeholders engaged during the transition
• The ultimate results and stakeholder reactions

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you quantify or illustrate the long-term benefits?
• What interim milestones or measurable progress points did you establish?
• How did you manage stakeholder expectations throughout the process?
• What did you do when commitment wavered during difficult implementation periods?

Share an example of when you successfully influenced a partner team or department to adjust their processes to improve overall operational efficiency.

Areas to Cover:

• The operational inefficiency and its impact
• The partner team's initial perspective
• How the candidate built the relationship and credibility
• Their approach to understanding the partner team's constraints and concerns
• Specific techniques used to demonstrate mutual benefit
• How they facilitated the collaboration
• The results and ongoing relationship afterward

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you establish trust with the partner team before suggesting changes?
• What resistance did you encounter and how did you address their specific concerns?
• How did you ensure the solution benefited both teams rather than just your operational goals?
• What follow-up did you do to maintain the collaborative relationship?

Describe a situation where you had to influence others during a time of significant operational pressure or crisis.

Areas to Cover:

• The operational crisis or pressure situation
• Key stakeholders involved and their emotional states
• The candidate's approach to maintaining calm and focus
• Specific communication strategies used during stress
• How they prioritized actions requiring others' cooperation
• Their approach to building confidence in the plan
• The resolution and aftermath

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you adapt your influencing style under pressure?
• What did you do to help others remain focused despite the stress?
• How did you handle disagreements about priorities during the crisis?
• What lessons about influence did you learn from this high-pressure situation?

Tell me about a time when you had to influence stakeholders to adopt a more efficient or standardized operational approach, replacing their preferred customized processes.

Areas to Cover:

• The standardization opportunity and its benefits
• Stakeholders' attachment to customized processes
• The candidate's approach to understanding stakeholder needs
• How they demonstrated the value of standardization
• Specific techniques used to address resistance to change
• Compromises or adaptations made to gain acceptance
• The implementation approach and results

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you determine which aspects could be standardized and which needed flexibility?
• What was your approach to stakeholders who strongly resisted giving up their customized processes?
• How did you demonstrate early wins to build confidence in the standardization?
• What follow-up did you do to ensure the standardized approach was being followed?

Share an example of when you had to influence a technical team to adjust their approach based on operational requirements or customer needs.

Areas to Cover:

• The disconnect between technical approach and operational/customer needs
• The technical team's initial perspective
• How the candidate bridged the communication gap
• Their approach to translating operational requirements into technical terms
• Specific techniques used to gain technical team buy-in
• How they facilitated mutual understanding
• The resolution and impact on both technical and operational outcomes

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you establish credibility with the technical team?
• What techniques did you use to help both sides understand each other's constraints?
• How did you handle situations where there seemed to be mutually exclusive requirements?
• What did you learn about bridging technical and operational perspectives?

Describe a situation where you influenced others to prioritize long-term operational excellence over short-term convenience.

Areas to Cover:

• The operational excellence initiative and short-term conveniences at risk
• Key stakeholders and their initial focus
• The candidate's approach to shifting perspective to long-term thinking
• Specific techniques used to make long-term benefits tangible
• How they addressed immediate concerns or pain points
• Their strategy for maintaining commitment during implementation
• The outcomes and stakeholder reflections afterward

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you make the long-term benefits feel concrete and compelling?
• What resistance did you face and how did you address different concerns?
• How did you help stakeholders manage the short-term inconveniences?
• What mechanisms did you put in place to track and communicate progress toward the long-term goal?

Tell me about a time when you had to gain buy-in for an operational change that had significant cultural implications for the team or organization.

Areas to Cover:

• The operational change and its cultural implications
• The existing cultural norms and potential conflicts
• How the candidate assessed cultural impact before implementation
• Their approach to framing the change in culturally acceptable terms
• Specific techniques used to address cultural resistance
• How they found cultural champions or change agents
• The implementation approach and cultural adaptation afterward

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you identify the cultural aspects that would be most affected?
• What approach did you take with the strongest cultural resistors?
• How did you balance respecting existing culture with pushing for necessary change?
• What adjustments did you make to your initial plan based on cultural feedback?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is assessing influencing ability so important specifically for Operations roles?

Operations professionals often need to implement changes that affect multiple departments and teams, but frequently lack direct authority over these stakeholders. Success in Operations roles requires the ability to build relationships, create compelling cases for change, and gain cooperation through persuasion rather than positional power. As Operations increasingly serves as the backbone for organizational efficiency and transformation, the ability to influence across functions becomes a critical success factor.

How should I balance assessing technical operations knowledge versus influencing skills?

While technical knowledge is important, even the most technically sound operational improvements fail without effective influence. Aim for a balanced assessment where you evaluate both the candidate's technical understanding and their ability to gain buy-in for their ideas. The best Operations professionals combine technical expertise with the interpersonal skills to translate that expertise into organizational action.

What are the most important follow-up questions to ask when assessing influencing skills?

The most revealing follow-up questions focus on how candidates tailored their approach to different stakeholders, how they handled resistance, what specific techniques they used to build coalitions, and how they measured the success of their influence efforts. Questions that probe for adaptability in approach based on audience will help you identify candidates with sophisticated influencing skills versus those with a one-size-fits-all approach.

How can I distinguish between candidates who influence through manipulation versus genuine relationship building?

Listen for indicators that the candidate sought to understand stakeholder needs and create mutual benefit rather than simply "winning" the argument. Effective influencers in Operations should demonstrate empathy, transparency about trade-offs, and a focus on organizational outcomes rather than personal victory. Ask about long-term relationships with stakeholders after difficult influence situations to assess whether their approach builds or damages trust.

How do effective influencing skills differ between junior and senior Operations roles?

Junior Operations professionals typically focus on influencing immediate team members and close stakeholders using data and logical arguments. As Operations professionals advance, they need to develop more sophisticated influence strategies that work across departments and up to executive levels, including stakeholder mapping, coalition building, and strategic timing of proposals. Senior roles require the ability to influence organizational culture and strategic direction while balancing competing priorities.

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