The Liberated Scrum Master
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The Liberated Scrum Master

The Scrum Master role was created to confront traditional management roles and processes. Described as a servant leader and manager of the Scrum process (just the process, not the people) the Scrum Master was also expected to socialise Scrum and inspire the workforce—and to "remove impediments", i.e. surface problems up the chain of command and work with those in power to resolve them.

It was an inspirational role for those who truly aspired to the great and worthy struggle to free the creative mind inside the corporate organism, and move the needle that measures the advancement of that cause. Sadly the corporate organism ate it for breakfast.

The controversial nature of the Scrum Master has now all but disappeared. The role has become watered down to the point of meaninglessness. It is more common today to see someone with that title act as a delivery manager, a project manager, a team lead or to fill some other hybrid, multipurpose role. Most Scrum Masters have little, if any, autonomy and are low down on the corporate totem pole, often just as disempowered as the people whose lives they are supposed to be working to improve.

It's time to claim back the space, to recreate the Scrum Master to what this role could have become if money, hierarchy, control, and fear hadn't got in the way, crushing a rare revolutionary idea, domesticating it, taming it, and consequently destroying it.

Who will liberate that role, set it free from its corporate bondage? Not the leaders of the corporations themselves, certainly, and not the consultants paying lip-service to Agile while they sell their own Proprietary Brand® of corporate appeasement and compliance. No, the role will be crushed further under the clumsy feet of such ministration. The only person who can change the nature of the role is you—you, the Scrum Master. 

  • "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bushel. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others..." —Matthew 5,14-16

Here are some suggestions for the role of the liberated Scrum Master. Know who you are. Assume no responsibility for the success of the team, and no responsibility for the success of the product. Only seek to expose the dirt under the rug, and reveal the grime building up behind the stasis of The Way Things Are. Hold up a mirror to the organisation that it may view itself and adjust. Speak truth to power, kindly, gently, tenderly, but courageously, walking through your fear. Hold the space that others may not see, the space in between the workers and the work, the unseen energy of the human relationships. Move unhurriedly, look people in the eyes, pause, listen, reflect. Above all, seek to become unnecessary.

#TrueScrumMaster

Anita Kalmane - Boot

Agile; Neurodiversity; Community Building

2y

"It was an inspirational role for those who truly aspired to the great and worthy struggle to free the creative mind inside the corporate organism, and move the needle that measures the advancement of that cause. Sadly the corporate organism ate it for breakfast." - this summarises very well why I felt in love with the position before becoming SM, and have recently started to question SM role as such.

Claus Reestrup

Break free from burnout & build work aligned with your soul | Purpose-driven coach for corporate high-achievers | Podcast Host | Psychic & Medium

4y

Johan Amsbeck, a little inspiration?

Claus Reestrup

Break free from burnout & build work aligned with your soul | Purpose-driven coach for corporate high-achievers | Podcast Host | Psychic & Medium

4y

It makes me think that if there is anyone who needs to truly believe and live by one of the Scrum values i.e., courage, then it would be the ScrumMaster. However, you would need help of courage only if you come to know *things* that needs courage telling it and you would know *those things* if you yourself believe and live by yet another Scrum value of Openness. Remember, “Scrum relies on transparency” and “the Scrum Master’s job is to work with the Scrum Team and the organization to increase the transparency”. ScrumMasters living by the values of Openness and Courage themselves will greatly improve transparency which in turn will enable inspection and adaptation in the context of real issues.

Piotr W.

Scrum Master, Senior Project Leader at Nordea

5y

I like this post, but need to remind about a tiny detail: Scrum Master is a servant lead of the Development Team that is delivering product (which is usually working software).

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