Seeing the Big Picture is one of the 9 Civil Service behaviours forming part of the Success Profiles framework. For most roles in the Civil Service and all Government departments, Seeing the Big Picture is often listed as one of the behaviours they will assess you on.

So just what is Seeing the Big Picture and what does it mean?

In this post, you will learn what is involved, what it means in practice.  We will give you some examples to start your thinking and we give you a sample 250 word STAR answer which you can use for both your statement in your application or in your interview.

What is the Seeing the Big Picture Civil Service Behaviour?

You may see this historically referred to as Organisational or Strategic Awareness or Strategic Management and it is about your ability to make a connection between your day-to-day tasks and the overall goals of your department and the organisation.

The formal civil service definition is:

Understand how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives. Recognise the wider priorities and ensure your work is in the wider interest.

It involves being aware of the bigger strategic context, whether that’s your team priorities, departmental objectives, or national policy. Demonstrating this behaviour means considering how decisions impact other teams, services, or the public.

What Does the Seeing the Big Picture Mean?

Put into simple terms, Seeing the Big Picture means being able to look beyond your own role and tasks and having an awareness of how your activities feed into the performance of your team, your department and the organisation.

For all staff, it is about focusing on delivering the organisations goals in the most effective and efficient way possible. It also requires staying informed about key developments and aligning your work to contribute to broader outcomes.

Seeing The Big Picture Interview Questions

Here are a small selection of competency based interview questions related to Seeing the Big Picture taken from the InterviewGold online training system.

How would you answer?

• Tell us about a decision you made which impacted on other teams, areas or departments.
• Tell me about a time when you have collaborated with another department in order to deliver a positive outcome.
• Describe a time when you had to balance your team’s needs with those of another department or the wider organisation. How did you handle it?
• Give an example of an achievement which directly contributed to your department goals.
• Tell us about a time when you considered the wider impact of your work? Give us an example fo one of the key impacts you experienced.
• Tell me about a situation where you aligned your work with your team’s or organisation’s goals. How did you ensure your approach supported the bigger picture?

How to Answer Seeing the Big Picture Questions

Seeing the Big Picture is a core skill required in most roles and you should except interview questions exploring times when you have demonstrated this previously.

Here are our top tips for a successful answer:

• Choose a Strong Relevant Example: Choose an example which clearly demonstrates how effective you are with Seeing the Big Picture. Ideally it should be from a recent work experience although situations from outside of work are also acceptable.
• Use the STAR or IPAR Method: As with all competency-based questions we recommend using the STAR or IPAR structure (Situation, task, action, result). The IPAR is a variation which is great for selling yourself even better and you can learn about this in the InterviewGold training.
• Show The Correct Positive Behaviours: You must show the correct positive behaviours for Seeing the Big Picture and these must be relevant to the role and your level. These will be scored accordingly by the panel as you mention them in your answers.
• Relevant Civil Service Strengths: Be sure to refer to the Civil Service Strengths Dictionary as well, since interviewers will be listening for these strengths and will score you when they hear them demonstrated.

How to Demonstrate Effective Seeing the Big Picture Behaviour

With your answers they will look for evidence of your understanding, experience and ability to use the Seeing the Big Picture behaviour.  They will want to see you demonstrate effectiveness. So how do you do that?

Here are some tips which will help you when creating your answers:

• To demonstrate Seeing the Big Picture, show that you understand how your role contributes to wider organisational goals and public outcomes.
• Stay informed about relevant policies, priorities, and developments, and use that knowledge to guide your decisions.
• Consider the impact of your work on other teams, departments, and service users.
• Collaborate across boundaries and avoid working in silos.
• When faced with a task or challenge, think long-term and align your actions with the bigger picture.
• Use evidence and insight to make connections and explain how your work adds value to the organisation’s overall mission and strategic objectives.

Seeing the Big Picture Examples

Seeing the Big Picture means you should look beyond individual tasks and assess whether or not they will help meet targets or get the team to the end goal. For your interview answers, ideally choose examples which took you outside of the normal scope of your work. Here are some potential scenarios to help refresh your memory.

Can you recall a time when you….

• Took on a task or got involved with a project so as to keep up to date with cross-organisational issues.
• Got involved in discussions about the direction, mission and goals of your Department or the organisation.
• Asked for secondment to other teams, areas or departments in order to see the bigger picture.
• Got involved with a new initiative and aligned your team’s goals with the wider policy so as maximise impact.
• Adjusted your project timeline to support another department facing resource constraints, ensuring overall service delivery wasn’t disrupted.
• During a policy review, highlighted how proposed changes would affect frontline staff and service users, helping shape a more practical, joined-up approach.

Sample STAR 250 Word Statement for Seeing the Big Picture

Here is a sample 250 word statement based on a HEO post in the Department of Education. Keep in mind that for more senior posts you may be expected to give a longer statement such as 500 or 750 words. Certainly in your interview where a 2-4 minute answer is required, you will need to provide more detail.

When you join InterviewGold, you get longer and more detailed statements and answers fully personalised to you and your level covering all Civil Service level from AA/AO right up to G6.

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