Scrum Master, the boss of the Agile team?
Photo by Olga Guryanova on Unsplash
Scrum Master, the boss of the Agile team?
“I am not their boss. They won’t listen to me”.
In my first days as Scrum Master, I had a dilemma I did not dare to ask: if the Scrum Master is supposed to promote and support Scrum adoption, why isn’t s/he named the manager of the team? Then, being a manager and coach, many Scrum Masters asked me the same question.
In fact, many companies give Scrum Masters this formal power. Then, why is it not crystal clear in the Scrum Guide that the Scrum Master is the manager/boss of the team? I spent nights thinking about it. The truth is that for the first time in the organizational history, some people are supposed to initiate change without clear and formal authority.
Authority
Oh! Here is the keyword: authority. What is authority? Well, I will use it here as that type of power coming from the fact that someone can decide when you are in and when you are out of a company. In 99% of the daily activities in a company, this does not matter, but in that 1 % when a firing decision is made, it has a huge impact on the life of a person and of the people around. People remember who has that power and who does not.
So then, the question comes back: why don’t Scrum Masters receive this type of authority? After researching this for quite some years, I realized that the Scrum Master role is at its core a change/transformational role, a role high on influence.
Understanding Influence
The psychological mechanisms to respond to influence are compliance (in the case of authority use), identification and internalization. If the Scrum Master would have authority, that would result in many cases in compliance: people do what they are asked to do because they have to in order to avoid negative consequences that they are not ready to endure (like being fired).
We have all been there. It is influenced by fear. It is fast, it works, it is reliable. Still, it has a big problem (gladly!): it is easily reverted. We do what others want us to do despite our own will just as long as they have the punishing power over us. Afterward, we go back to doing things the way we want to, because, hey! we are adults and free human beings.
I think that explains why Scrum Masters are not the managers of the team, at least not at the beginning of the Agile Transformation. Anyways, I have seen this type of authority assigned to different other roles.
Agile management - focusing on the system
In my experience, human system managers are the most successful , applying Management 3.0 practices. And also, I noticed that the Scrum Masters are usually the most successful in becoming Managers 3.0.
Being a Scrum Master is a great opportunity to lead without authority, to understand the misuse of power and build a light type of leadership that leaves enough space and air for the others to evolve their expertise. Therefore, to all the Scrum Masters asking this question: the lack of authority gives the chance to influence without power and fear. It is hard, it is a journey, it is an art.
It is an amazing opportunity to grow within the leadership of the future because the era of fear in companies is going down!
About:
Roxana supports IT Executives to leverage the Agile mindset and the latest management research to achieve Strategic Business Agility. Her fully customized approach includes the right mix of Agile Management Training and Consulting, Executive Coaching, and Mentoring. Read more about the Agile Business Transformation services, focused on Agile Management, Transformational Leadership, and Startup Profitable Growth at MastersWhoCare: Uncovering better ways to lead and serve.
