PMP Practice Questions #37
You are leading a project where the team members are dispersed across different locations and time zones. While most of the team members are actively participating, a few key team members are not showing enthusiasm. Which of the following approaches should the project manager adopt to inspire the disengaged team members?
A) Use a rewards and recognition system to highlight outstanding contributors and foster a competitive spirit among team members.
B) Increase the frequency of status update meetings to ensure everyone is aligned and informed.
C) Improve the facilitation of meetings to ensure everyone is engaged in decision-making.
D) Delegate additional responsibilities to the disengaged team members to foster a sense of ownership and commitment.
Analysis
The core issue presented in the question revolves around the challenge of managing and motivating a dispersed team across various time zones. The primary objective is to identify an approach that can inspire disengaged team members and enhance their participation.
The best option should target the root cause of disengagement without inadvertently leading to further issues such as fostering unnecessary competition or increasing the chances of micromanagement.
Analysis of Options:
Option A: Use a rewards and recognition system to highlight outstanding contributors and foster a competitive spirit among team members. This option suggests using a reward and recognition system to create competition among team members. However, fostering competition might not always result in collaboration and may divert the focus from collective team goals to individual achievements. Thus, this approach is not advisable as it does not align with modern project management principles that prioritize team collaboration.
Option B: Increase the frequency of status update meetings to ensure everyone is aligned and informed. Increasing the frequency of status update meetings might seem like a feasible idea to ensure alignment and information dissemination. However, this could be perceived as micromanagement, which can further disengage team members. Moreover, the term “status update” may indicate a top-down communication approach rather than a collaborative one.
Option C: Improve the facilitation of meetings to ensure everyone is engaged in decision-making. Improving the facilitation of meetings is crucial for virtual teams. Properly structured and managed meetings can drive engagement, foster collaboration, and ensure everyone’s involvement in decision-making. This option directly addresses the issue of disengagement by ensuring all team members have an equal say and are actively participating in meetings, making it the most suitable choice among the given options.
Option D: Delegate additional responsibilities to the disengaged team members to foster a sense of ownership and commitment. While delegating additional responsibilities can foster ownership and commitment, it’s essential to approach this carefully. Delegating tasks without proper communication or understanding the reasons for disengagement might lead to further stress or confusion. This option would be more suitable if it involved one-on-one communication to understand the root cause of disengagement.
Conclusion: Given the analysis above, Option C, Improve the facilitation of meetings to ensure everyone is engaged in decision-making. appears to be the most appropriate choice. Proper facilitation of meetings for virtual teams is essential to ensure active participation, collaborative decision-making, and increased engagement.
PMP Exam Content Outline Mapping
| Domain | Task |
|---|---|
| People | Task 11: Engage and support virtual teams |
Topics Covered
- Virtual Teams
- Facilitation Techniques
- Team Development
