Why is Scrum Master a Servant Leader?

Scrum Master is one of the most vital yet frequently misinterpreted roles in Scrum as a servant leader. Scrum's founders, Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber, understood that teams needed coaching and assistance to successfully shift to a new working style (adopting Scrum).

Unlike traditional leadership, which positions the leader at the top of the hierarchy and the employees at the bottom, servant leadership puts the needs and wants of the workforce at the center. Servant leadership can be seen as the antithesis of traditional leadership because it puts the leader at the bottom of the hierarchy and the employees at the top. Here, the people in charge are working for the people above them. 

Definition Of Scrum Master & Servant Leader

Scrum Master 

A Scrum master helps an Agile development team by serving as a facilitator. They are in charge of overseeing the information sharing among team members. Scrum is a framework for project management that follows Agile principles and facilitates team communication and self-organization to make rapid changes.

The scrum methodology is frequently employed in Agile software development and other forms of Agile project management, even though Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka originally applied it to manufacturing in a study. Team members gather for a daily stand-up meeting in product development every morning to discuss progress and, in essence, restart the project.

Servant Leader

Leading by serving and caring for others is at the core of the servant leadership way of thinking and acting. Elegant leadership creates a more compassionate and just world by enhancing people's lives and building more substantial businesses.

Serve others before oneself as a servant leader. First and foremost, there is a natural desire to serve. That is when thoughtful decisions spark the urge to lead. Such a leader differs significantly from one who initially assumes the leader's job, which could result from a desire to acquire power, prestige, and financial gain within the organization.

Role And Responsibilities Of Scrum Master As A Servant Leader

1. Practicing servant leadership 

Serving as a servant leader is a daily task for a Scrum Master. Planning performances, coaching, assisting the team in self-organization, resolving problems through conflict management, removing roadblocks to advancement, and serving the team are all examples of servant leadership in a scrum team. 

By demonstrating servant leadership, the Scrum Master assists the team in developing into a mature, self-sufficient group that can make decisions independently. Making the team self-sufficient so they can handle the demands of the position is the foundation of servant leadership in Scrum. 

2. Support to the Scrum Team

The fundamental duty of the Scrum Master, as a servant leader, is to facilitate the development team's performance. In addition to providing a suitable work atmosphere, they mentor, support, and remove roadblocks to ensure that the team members perform to the best of their abilities. Meanwhile, coaches and scrum masters help teams follow agile principles and mentor them through scrum procedures while they work on new products.  

The efficacy of the Scrum team is the Scrum Master's responsibility, and they put in great effort to ensure the team is inspired, innovative, creative, and motivated. The team may increase productivity and create value by enhancing Scrum processes with the assistance of the Scrum Master, who models servant leadership. 

3. Assist the Product Owner

Regarding the development team and the product owner, the scrum master is a servant leader. Product Owners cannot manage the backlog independently, even if they are principally in charge. The Scrum Master provides the development team and the product owner with a successful product backlog management system.

Product planning, Scrum events, and backlog item identification with the development team are all tasks that the Scrum Master assists the product owner with during the entire grooming process. 

4. Assistance to the organization

As a mentor and motivator, the Scrum Master serves the development team and the entire organization by bringing Scrum awareness beyond the team. Scrum Masters coach teams and departments as they gain an Agile mindset and learn about Scrum. 

Scrum Masters are responsible for promoting the concepts and ideals of Scrum and providing servant leadership to the team. The organization can develop an agile mindset only when all departments within a business implement Scrum rather than select ones. 

Is the Scrum Master a servant leader? Why?

Because of their distinct leadership approach, Scrum Masters in Agile teams are frequently called "Servant Leaders." Servant leadership puts the requirements of the team, clients, and stakeholders ahead of one's interests.

The Scrum Master in an Agile setting establishes an atmosphere that allows the team to work together productively and provide value to the customer. The Scrum Master must be able to guide the team without having official power over them to do this.

Servant leadership concepts like the following to achieve this:

• Empathy: To properly lead discussions and settle disputes, the Scrum Master needs to comprehend and sympathize with the team and clients.
• Facilitation: To guarantee that everyone has a voice and that decisions are transparent and cooperative, the Scrum Master must be able to conduct meetings and facilitate discussions.
• Coaching: To help the team develop their abilities and function more efficiently, the Scrum Master must be able to offer direction and coaching.

A supportive and enabling environment where the team can flourish and produce high-quality results is what the Scrum Master can build by embracing a servant leadership style.

Check out here:How to Build and Manage an Agile Team

Some Servant-Leader Behaviours for Every Scrum Master

Specific individuals are born with the qualities of servant leadership. Such practice can help to improve behaviors.

1. Being Caring and Serving

Your passion for Scrum and willingness to support and care for your team make you influential. Two traits of a servant leader are encouraging team members to participate in decision-making and giving them authority. It's serving and compassionate behavior. Along with raising the standard of care and organizational life, it fosters team members' personal development. 

2. Providing Assistance and Empowerment

Employees, clients, business partners, communities, and society at large, including the least privileged members of it, can all be considered stakeholders. Team members need to be valuable in ways that go beyond their duties as employees, according to Servant-Leader Scrum Masters. These Scrum Masters have a solid commitment to the personal growth and development of every Scrum Team member. The goal of a Scrum Master's work is to support team members' personal and professional development.

3. Fulfilling the Agenda of the Team

The interests of others come before one's own when a leader is a servant. They have the "power" to help others. Members of the team benefit when they feel empowered by their servant leader. The Scrum Master utilizes their expertise and skills as a Servant Leader to assist the team in creating their agenda. The team's agenda is what the scrum master serves, not their own or any individual member's. The team is not subject to any orders or directives from the Scrum Master. A Scrum Master adheres to Change by Invitation as a Servant Leader. The group determines the direction and the goals.

4. Developing Connections

By creating lasting relationships with all parties involved and maintaining team members' focus, it is possible to assist them in reaching their most significant potential. Building a relationship with the Scrum Master won't be a problem if they are genuinely committed to serving, caring for, and encouraging the growth of your team members; good relationships within the team foster cooperation that improves the performance and development of the group.

5. Being Compassionate

For Scrum Masters who lack empathy by nature, the first step toward developing empathy is being conscious of and concerned for the feelings of others and engaging in active listening while expressing empathy for the words and ideas shared by your colleagues. They understand when you listen with empathy to them. To share even more, they feel secure and at ease. Through empathy, the Scrum Master cultivates relationships.

The Bottom Line 

The core of Scrum is the role of the Scrum Master and servant leadership. As a servant leader, the scrum master reinforces the scrum principles and contributes to improving values, motivation, cooperation, and collaboration. The team and individual members will develop, gain confidence, and contribute to value delivery under the Scrum Master's servant leadership.

Take your Scrum Mastering to the next level! With Simpliaxis' A-CSM Certification Training, you can develop advanced leadership abilities. This curriculum goes beyond theory, and CSTs Alliance has approved it. Get hands-on experience with coding, Scrum simulations, and real-world examples. Acquire practical knowledge, address typical problems, and become a proactive servant leader. Enroll now to advance your Scrum Master career as a Servant Leader!

FAQs

1. Why is it important for a Scrum Master to be a servant leader?

The Scrum Master assists those not part of the Scrum Team in determining which contacts with the Scrum Team are beneficial and which are not. The Scrum Master assists all parties in modifying these exchanges to optimize the value produced by the Scrum Team.

2. Why is a scrum master called a servant leader?

To accomplish results consistent with the organization's values, guiding principles, and business objectives, a Scrum Master is a servant leader who prioritizes the needs of their team members and the customers they serve.

3. What type of leader is a scrum master?

A Scrum master is a leader and facilitator who assists the Scrum team and the larger organization in comprehending and implementing Scrum theory and practice. By deftly eliminating roadblocks and distractions that could prevent the Scrum team from achieving their objectives, the Scrum master facilitates more productive work for the Scrum team.

4. What is the role of a servant leader in Agile?

Agile servant leaders are open to employee input, value education, and are prepared to adjust their opinions in light of new information or evolving market dynamics.