The Agile Daily Standup - AgileDad

Hey Scrum Master... Are you my manager? - Mike Cohn

Mar 27, 2024

Mike Cohn, an expert in Scrum and Agile practices, discusses the confusion between the roles of Scrum Masters and managers. He emphasizes the importance of defining these roles clearly for effective Agile practices and explores the balance between offering assistance and empowering individuals in leadership and management.

06:30

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Mike Cohn

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Quick takeaways

Scrum Masters motivate, remove impediments, and prioritize team mental health but do not assign tasks or take on team work responsibility.

Effective leadership in Agile involves empowering teams for independent problem-solving, promoting self-reliance and continuous improvement.

Deep dives

Understanding the Difference Between Scrum Masters and Managers

Scrum Masters and managers share similarities in motivating teams and improving collaboration, but they differ in task assignment and team responsibility. While both roles aim to enhance team performance, a scrum master does not serve as a manager but focuses on facilitating teamwork and removing obstacles to progress. This distinction helps clarify expectations within Agile frameworks, promoting team autonomy and productivity.

Exploring the Relationship Between Scrum Masters and Managers

4min

Balancing Assistance and Empowerment in Leadership and Management

2min

Hey Scrum Master... Are you my manager? - Mike Cohn

Back when my girls were small, I used to read Dr. Seuss books to them. Together, we giggled over the antics in the Cat in the Hat and shed a few tears over the destruction in The Lorax.
But a question I got asked in a class recently brought me back to another childhood classic from the Dr. Seuss brand, “Are You My Mother?” It’s a simple story about a newly hatched baby bird that sets out on a quest to find their mother. (Don’t worry, the baby bird is eventually reunited with their actual mother.)
I think newly hatched Scrum teams (and sometimes the people forming those teams) can feel as lost as the baby bird in that story. Why? Because without fail, one of the first questions they ask of or about their Scrum Master is, “Are you my manager?”
In the words of the book, the correct answer is, “No. I am not your manager. I am a Scrum Master.”
The confusion is natural because good Scrum Masters do perform some of the same functions good managers do:

They motivate and encourage people to do their best work.
They look out for the team’s mental health by avoiding excessive deadline pressure.
They remove impediments to progress.
They improve a team's collaboration and teamwork and more.

Scrum Masters don't assign tasks or allocate people to projects
They don't pick due dates for tasks or projects
And, most importantly, Scrum Masters do not assume responsibility for a team's work. The responsibility for the team’s work resides with the team members.

But Scrum Masters are unlike managers, too:

If you find your teammates acting as though the Scrum Master is their manager, discuss it immediately rather than waiting for a retrospective. Quickly getting on the same page about how Scrum roles compare to traditional roles will help you and your team succeed with agile,

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