"What is your management philosophy?"

This is another question only for managers and above. You can make this short or long, but in the least it should be an answer that stands out. Think of a guideline that you follow as a manager that you think is a good philosophy to follow.

Short Answers

"I think management should provide guidance, direction, leadership, and finally set an example to subordinates."

"My management philosophy is to provide an environment that leads to productive employees. I achieve this through conflict management, keeping the morale high, providing encouragement to low performers, and also rewarding the strong performers."

"I believe in setting an example. My favorite managers in the past were the ones that worked smart and efficiently. I learned a great deal and found that leading by example is a strong way to influence directs to work diligently."

Long Answer

"Before I was in management, I had many types of managers. I learned a lot from observing their management styles. I also learned a lot from the bad managers I had. I had a manger who was never there, another that didn't care, and another that had a phrase similar to, 'do as I say, not as I do.' So the traits I acquired are from my good managers such as working smart instead of working long, but the philosophy I always think about is from my bad managers. So I believe I should lead by example, provide guidance and growth by giving important feedback, and to be accessible to everyone."

If you want a shorter answer that is to the point, you can consider this one.

"I believe management should provide guidance for employees to do their job well. This includes several meanings. First, it means management should provide challenging tasks related to the job that gives employees experience. This also stretches their abilities and brings growth. Also, by guiding employees to do their job well, it benefits the company by having productive employees."

Questions that are related to what you think should differ person to person. So think what your management philosophy is and write it down. Put more thought into it and then you will be able to explain exactly what you mean. If you have no idea, then consider what I wrote down in my two examples above.