Project Management Professional (PMP)® Examination Content OutlinePeopleHard
A project manager observes that a long-standing project team, despite having excellent technical skills, is struggling with a lack of initiative and creative problem-solving. The team members are competent but seem to wait for instructions rather than proactively identifying solutions. To foster a more innovative and self-organizing team, what leadership approach should the project manager adopt?
- AIncrease individual accountability by assigning penalties for unmet expectations or lack of initiative.
- BImplement a more directive leadership style, providing explicit instructions for all tasks.
- CReorganize the team structure, placing more experienced members in supervisory roles over the less experienced.
- DShift towards a servant leadership approach, removing impediments and empowering the team to make decisions.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Shift towards a servant leadership approach, removing impediments and empowering the team to make decisions.
Adopting a servant leadership approach, which focuses on empowering the team and removing impediments, is ideal for fostering initiative and creative problem-solving in a team that is technically competent but lacks self-organization.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Penalties can create fear and discourage experimentation, which is crucial for innovation and problem-solving.
- B. A directive style will further reinforce the team's tendency to wait for instructions, stifling initiative and creativity.
- C. Reorganizing with more supervisors might reinforce a hierarchical, instruction-driven culture rather than fostering self-organization and initiative.
Lead a Team (Servant Leadership)
A leadership philosophy where the leader's primary focus is on serving the needs of the team members, empowering them, and fostering their growth and well-being.
- Prioritizes team members' development and autonomy.
- Removes impediments and provides support.
- Aims to create self-organizing and highly motivated teams.
Memory trick: Serve the team, grow the genius; command, and you'll constrain.