- A
Increase oversight to ensure the team stays on track
Why wrong: This would worsen the problem.
- B
Acknowledge the feedback and agree to transition to a more empowering leadership style
PMI encourages adapting leadership style to team needs, fostering autonomy.
- C
Explain that micromanagement is necessary to ensure quality
Why wrong: This ignores the team's concerns and does not address morale.
- D
Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for guidance
Why wrong: The PM should address this directly; escalation is not needed.
Question 42 of 892
PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
This PMP practice question tests your understanding of people — leading projects. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
During a retrospective, the team identifies that the root cause of low morale is the project manager's micromanagement style. The team wants more autonomy. What should the PM do?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Acknowledge the feedback and agree to transition to a more empowering leadership style
Option B is correct because the PM should acknowledge the team's feedback and adapt their leadership style to empower the team, which aligns with the PMP's focus on servant leadership and fostering autonomy. Micromanagement undermines trust and morale, so transitioning to a more empowering approach directly addresses the root cause identified in the retrospective.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Increase oversight to ensure the team stays on track
Why it's wrong here
This would worsen the problem.
- ✓
Acknowledge the feedback and agree to transition to a more empowering leadership style
Why this is correct
PMI encourages adapting leadership style to team needs, fostering autonomy.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Explain that micromanagement is necessary to ensure quality
Why it's wrong here
This ignores the team's concerns and does not address morale.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for guidance
Why it's wrong here
The PM should address this directly; escalation is not needed.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse 'increasing oversight' (Option A) with maintaining control, but the PMP exam emphasizes that servant leadership requires empowering the team, not tightening control, especially when the team explicitly requests autonomy.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In agile and servant leadership frameworks, the PM acts as a facilitator who removes impediments and enables self-organization. Micromanagement violates the principle of 'trust but verify' and can be modeled as a constraint on the team's autonomy, reducing their velocity and innovation. A real-world scenario is a software team where the PM's constant code reviews and task assignments caused burnout; shifting to outcome-based goals and peer reviews restored morale and productivity.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the PMP exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
People — Leading Projects — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PMP question test?
People — Leading Projects — This question tests People — Leading Projects — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Acknowledge the feedback and agree to transition to a more empowering leadership style — Option B is correct because the PM should acknowledge the team's feedback and adapt their leadership style to empower the team, which aligns with the PMP's focus on servant leadership and fostering autonomy. Micromanagement undermines trust and morale, so transitioning to a more empowering approach directly addresses the root cause identified in the retrospective.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This PMP practice question is part of Courseiva's free PMI certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PMP exam.
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