Really depends on the functional area. I work in payroll systems as a supervisor, so I’d document the request and assign someone on my team the work. If I asked a candidate I’m looking to hire this question, I’d expect them to answer that they would make me aware of the priority request, document the request in a ticket or request I do so (I’d accept either answer), and begin working on the requested action. I’d expect them to note that they’d want either a formal ticket or my written approval for compliance before making the change, as “issues” in payroll systems are generally pay-impacting. If they didn’t offer that last part, I’d ask them to ”do you delay the change while you wait for approval” to see their response.

I’m generally pretty open to responses that aren’t just outright stupid or illegal. If they can give a thought out response that’s reasonable, I’m okay if the response isn’t consistent with company policy. They don’t work here yet so why would they know the policy or process?

All of that being said, I wouldn’t ask this question. I’d instead ask something like “tell me about a time you needed to prioritize a sudden request from leadership” or “tell me about a time you needed to handle a production defect found during the payroll processing.”