Is the Scrum Master the Team Lead?

What is a Scrum Master?

The Scrum Master is one of the three accountabilities within a Scrum Team.

When we often hear concepts like “Servant leader” or “Servant leadership,” we quickly associate it with the role/accountability of the Scrum Master.

The concept of “Servant-leader” was introduced by Robert Greenleaf in his essay The Servant as a Leader in 1970.

What are the Scrum Master’s Responsibilities?

As per the official Scrum Guide, the Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide. This is done by helping everyone understand Scrum theory and practice, both within the Scrum Team and the organization.

The Scrum Master is held accountable for the Scrum Team’s effectiveness. They do this by enabling the Scrum Team to improve its practices within the Scrum framework.

Why is the Scrum Master Role Sometimes Misunderstood?

Over the last few years, more and more companies have adopted Agile practices and implemented Scrum in particular. However, with this explosion in popularity, Scrum has been understood poorly, and the role of the Scrum Master is not an exception.

Sadly, in many organizations, the role is understood purely as a facilitator, just to schedule meetings, create reports, take meeting notes, control timeboxes and facilitate fun retrospectives. These perceptions were common, experienced by myself and many colleagues.

As Scrum Masters, we do not manage the team and the people; we create an environment that helps the team achieve results and outcomes.

How? On the one hand, implementing frameworks, helping reduce waste (ensuring blockers are resolved as quickly as possible), and developing and leading people by supporting them and recognizing everyone’s individuality.

On the other hand, as Scrum Masters and true team leaders, it is vital to develop people and teams through essential competencies like facilitation, coaching, mentoring, and training. Additionally, understanding different leadership styles is key to leading a team and helping them incrementally introduce self-management.