One theory on why every team needs a Scrum Master

Scrum masters are valuable for all the traditional reasons we all know; removing obstacles between teams, running scrum ceremonies, managing team metrics and helping teams improve. However, I believe what teams need today more than anything is what only the best scrum masters can provide - a guard against human stupidity.

Robert Greene defines human stupidity as a form of certainty. “What really causes human stupidity and stupid actions is half knowledge and half education.” For example, I’ve read plenty of books and I have learnings from a rich set of experiences. It makes sense that I may think I know the best course of action in a specific situation based on my experiences and learnings even though I may not have the full picture.

We see this everywhere, both at home and in the office. We see it in our engineering teams, leadership teams and project teams. We then take actions based on what we consider certain to be the correct path based on our education and experience.?

I’d suggest that the opposite of certainty is a combination of curiosity and creativity. The best scrum masters use trust and care to build a team space that empowers team members to question my approach, who understand that while my approach is certainly valid based on data and MY experiences, it still may be lacking pieces of the complete picture. The best scrum masters facilitate that conversation to keep it collaborative and effective, not defensive and combative. They enable the team to put together a more full picture. The most effective teams always have someone intentionally performing this activity. The consequences of not having this role can be quite harmful to the team and the overall organization. When this role is missing and the team sees that my approach is not taking into account the full picture, but they don't feel like they can speak up, we see quiet quitting, poor quality, back channeling, missed dates.?

If we need teams to deliver high quality outcomes, if we need teams that are nimble, motivated and not wasting time, then we need people who can create team environments where we constantly put curiosity and creativity over certainty.?