Why Scrum Masters are Called Servant Leaders: Understanding the Leadership Philosophy behind Scrum

Scrum is a popular Agile framework for managing and completing complicated projects. The Scrum Master is a critical job in Scrum who is responsible for facilitating the Scrum process and ensuring the team adheres to the Scrum framework. The principle of servant leadership, however, distinguishes Scrum Masters from typical managers. This leadership concept focuses on placing the needs of the team ahead of one's own and on creating a good work atmosphere. We will look at why Scrum Masters are referred to as servant leaders, how this leadership philosophy correlates with the Scrum framework, and the benefits of servant leadership in the Scrum environment in this article.

Understanding Servant Leadership:

• Servant leadership is a leadership concept that prioritises followers' needs and well-being.
• Servant leaders prioritise promoting a healthy work atmosphere, building trust, and empowering team members.
• Servant leaders set a good example for their teams by modelling the behaviours they desire to see.

Alignment of Servant Leadership with Scrum:

• As Scrum Masters, their primary responsibility is to support the team by facilitating the Scrum process and ensuring that the team adheres to the Scrum framework.
• They develop a culture of trust, collaboration, and shared ownership by creating a great work environment.
• They may improve ownership and accountability among team members by allowing them to self-organise and make decisions.

Benefits of Servant Leadership in Scrum context:

• Increased motivation and productivity: By emphasising the needs of the team and fostering a positive work environment, we will boost team members' motivation and productivity.
• Improved team collaboration and communication: We can improve team collaboration and communication by cultivating a culture of trust, collaboration, and shared ownership.
• Increased ownership and accountability: By empowering the team to self-organise and make decisions, we may boost team members' ownership and accountability.
• Improved customer value delivery:  improve the team's ability to give value to the customer by aligning the team's efforts with the goal of delivering value to the customer.

Finally, in today's fast-paced and ever-changing business environment, the role of Scrum Masters as Servant Leaders is important. The Servant Leadership attitude complements the Scrum framework, and its application can result in a more positive work environment, better team motivation, improved collaboration, and improved value delivery to customers. Servant Leadership in Agile environments will become increasingly important as firms handle increasingly complex difficulties. Organisations may better support their teams in delivering value to customers and achieving success by understanding the leadership philosophy behind Scrum and the role of Scrum Masters as Servant Leaders.

As a Scrum Master, he/she must remember that servant leadership is a philosophy, not just a function, and it must be practised regularly to foster a healthy work environment and ensure the team's success in delivering value to the client.