PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
You are leading a project team that has been working together for several months. Recently, you have noticed that team members are becoming complacent, and innovation has stalled. You want to reinvigorate the team and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Which two actions should you take? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is selecting actions that increase control or workload, which may seem productive but actually hinder innovation and exacerbate complacency.
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
✓
Recognize and reward team members who propose innovative ideas.
To reinvigorate a complacent team and foster continuous improvement, the project manager should recognize and reward innovation and encourage experimentation and learning from failures. These actions create a culture that values creativity and growth, directly addressing the lack of innovation. The other options focus on control and monitoring, which can stifle innovation and reduce motivation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Recognize and reward team members who propose innovative ideas.
Why this is correct
Recognizing and rewarding innovation encourages team members to think creatively and share ideas. It reinforces desired behavior and motivates others to contribute. This action directly addresses complacency by creating incentives for continuous improvement and can help reignite enthusiasm and engagement within the team.
- ✗
Implement a strict change control process to minimize disruptions.
Why it's wrong here
A strict change control process can hinder innovation by making it difficult to try new things. While change control is important for scope management, it should not be so rigid that it prevents experimentation. In a project needing revitalization, flexibility and openness to change are more important than minimizing disruptions.
- ✗
Increase the frequency of status meetings to monitor progress more closely.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing status meetings can add bureaucracy and reduce time for creative work. It may also signal a lack of trust, which can lower morale. While monitoring is important, more meetings do not foster innovation; instead, they can stifle it by consuming time and focusing on reporting rather than problem-solving.
- ✗
Assign more detailed tasks to ensure everyone is fully utilized.
Why it's wrong here
Assigning more detailed tasks may increase workload but does not necessarily foster innovation. It can lead to micromanagement and reduce autonomy, which may further demotivate team members. The goal is to stimulate creativity, not just keep people busy with more granular work.
- ✓
Encourage team members to experiment with new approaches and learn from failures.
Why this is correct
Encouraging experimentation and learning from failure creates a safe environment for innovation. It allows team members to explore new ideas without fear of punishment, which can lead to breakthroughs and continuous improvement. This action helps break complacency by promoting a growth mindset and adaptive learning within the team.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every PMP question from scratch — 820 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official PMI exam blueprint
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.