PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
Your project team includes members from diverse cultural backgrounds. A team member from a high-context culture is perceived by others as not being direct enough, causing misunderstandings. What should you do to improve team cohesion?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often choose Option B or C, mistakenly believing that the fastest path to cohesion is to 'fix' the minority team member's behavior, rather than recognizing that PMP best practices require a systemic, team-wide solution that respects cultural diversity and avoids marginalization.
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
✓
Provide diversity and inclusion training to the entire team
Providing diversity and inclusion training addresses the root cause of the misunderstanding—cultural differences in communication styles—by educating the entire team on high-context vs. low-context cultures. This aligns with the PMP's focus on fostering a collaborative team environment through mutual understanding, rather than singling out or forcing change on one individual. It promotes team cohesion by building awareness and respect for diverse communication norms, which is essential for leading projects in a global context.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Provide diversity and inclusion training to the entire team
Why this is correct
This option directly addresses the root cause of potential communication issues in a diverse team by fostering mutual understanding and respect among all members. Diversity and inclusion training equips the entire team with tools to recognize cultural nuances, adapt their communication, and appreciate varied perspectives, thereby enhancing collaboration and overall team performance. This proactive approach aligns with effective project management principles for building high-performing, cohesive teams that leverage their collective strengths.
- ✗
Assign a mentor to coach the team member on being more direct
Why it's wrong here
This approach incorrectly places the burden of adaptation solely on one individual, implying their communication style is inherently problematic rather than recognizing it as a cultural difference. It fails to address the broader team's need for cultural competence and inclusive communication practices, potentially alienating the team member and exacerbating existing communication barriers. Effective team integration requires collective effort and understanding from all members, not individual remediation for cultural expression.
- ✗
Ask the team member to adapt their communication style to match the majority
Why it's wrong here
This option is detrimental as it demands assimilation, undermining the inherent value of diversity and potentially leading to feelings of exclusion or marginalization for the team member. Forcing an individual to abandon their culturally ingrained communication style can stifle authentic expression, reduce psychological safety, and prevent the team from benefiting from unique perspectives. A project manager should foster an environment where all communication styles are respected and understood, not suppressed.
- ✗
Send a memo clarifying preferred communication styles
Why it's wrong here
While a memo can convey information, it is a passive, one-way communication method that is entirely inadequate for addressing complex, deep-seated cultural communication differences within a project team. Effective change in communication patterns requires interactive training, facilitated discussions, and ongoing practice to build empathy and understanding, which a static document cannot achieve. Relying on a memo for such a critical interpersonal dynamic is a superficial and ineffective project management response.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to the PMP Exam and Project Management Basics
Key term
Training and Development
Training and Development is the process of enhancing team members' skills, knowledge, and competencies to improve project performance and achieve career growth.
Key term
Project Management Plan
A formal, approved document that defines how a project is executed, monitored, controlled, and closed, serving as the single source of truth for the project team.
About these practice questions
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.