The Loudest Leader (Scenario Series #4)
Scenario #4 – You are the Scrum Master of a new Scrum Team. They appear to be performing well, but after observing them for a while, there is one person dominating all conversation and making decisions on behalf of the Scrum Team without consultation. He refers to himself as the ‘tech lead’, when no such role exists in the organisation.
What would you do?
Having a ‘tech lead’ is very common in teams within large organisations. Typically, a promoted developer will become a ‘tech lead’, with is synonymous with leadership. Scrum Teams have no hierarchy and this is in direct conflict with all Scrum Team members being equal.
One of the questions here is that if the Scrum Team are performing well, should you act? If the team themselves are not raising an issue, and don’t see it as an impediment some Scrum Masters may choose not to act – and that is okay. However, if you believe it will impact their long term delivery of value, then you should not be afraid to take action, even if no one has raised a concern.
If this was a situation you were in, how would you act?
If you’re interested in my opinion, take a look at the video below.
A written transcript is available here: