The answer is to publicly acknowledge the team member’s contributions during team meetings. This directly addresses the root cause of demotivation—lack of recognition—by applying positive reinforcement and making the individual’s efforts visible to the entire team, which aligns with Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory where recognition serves as a key satisfier. On the PMP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of servant leadership and the project manager’s role in fostering a supportive culture; a common trap is choosing a private one-on-one meeting, which fails to satisfy the need for public visibility. Remember the memory tip: “Public praise, private critique”—when the issue is recognition, always make it visible to the team to reinforce the behavior and boost morale.
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 project, you notice that a team member with specialized skills is becoming demotivated because their work is not being recognized. What is the BEST way to address this?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Publicly acknowledge the team member's contributions during team meetings.
Publicly acknowledging the team member's contributions directly addresses the root cause of demotivation—lack of recognition—by leveraging positive reinforcement and team visibility. This aligns with the PMP's focus on servant leadership and motivational theories like Herzberg's hygiene factors, where recognition is a key motivator. It fosters a supportive team culture without bypassing the project manager's direct relationship with the team member.
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.
✗
Discuss the issue with the team member's supervisor.
Why it's wrong here
The PM should address the issue directly rather than involving a supervisor unnecessarily.
✗
Give the team member a monetary bonus.
Why it's wrong here
While monetary rewards can help, they may not be feasible or the most effective immediate step.
✗
Assign the team member more challenging tasks.
Why it's wrong here
More challenge might help but does not directly address the lack of recognition.
✓
Publicly acknowledge the team member's contributions during team meetings.
Why this is correct
Recognition is a powerful motivator and aligns with servant leadership.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose a monetary bonus (Option B) as a quick fix, confusing extrinsic rewards with the deeper need for recognition, which is a core motivator in PMP's people-centric leadership approach.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In project management, recognition is a key component of the 'Manage Team' process (PMBOK Guide 6th Edition, 9.4), which involves tracking team performance, providing feedback, and resolving issues. Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory distinguishes between hygiene factors (e.g., salary) and motivators (e.g., recognition), where recognition directly increases job satisfaction and productivity. Public acknowledgment also leverages social validation, which can enhance team cohesion and psychological safety, as supported by Tuckman's model of team development.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PMP question in full detail.
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: Publicly acknowledge the team member's contributions during team meetings. — Publicly acknowledging the team member's contributions directly addresses the root cause of demotivation—lack of recognition—by leveraging positive reinforcement and team visibility. This aligns with the PMP's focus on servant leadership and motivational theories like Herzberg's hygiene factors, where recognition is a key motivator. It fosters a supportive team culture without bypassing the project manager's direct relationship with the team member.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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