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Should Scrum Masters Be Team Managers?

International Scrum Institute™
Last Updated: December, 17th 2023

Scrum Master Scrum Team Manager Scrum Team Leader


Dear Reader, Have you ever paused to ponder: Should a Scrum Master be a team manager? This question might stir some discomfort, challenging the conventional belief that the two roles should be separate. But why have we always stood by the notion that a Scrum Master shouldn't wear the manager's hat?

Consider this: Could there be instances where merging these roles leads to a more efficient team dynamic, or is it a recipe for disaster?

Let's delve into a real-life case study from a Germany-based company that remains anonymous for the sake of privacy. They ventured down the path of having Scrum Masters as team managers, only to encounter significant setbacks that affected both their team and their business.

Picture this: Scrum Masters, also acting as managers, initially seemed like a time-saving, efficient approach. Yet, their dual roles soon became a tangled web, hindering rather than facilitating progress. The team felt suffocated, innovation stagnated, and deadlines blurred into chaos.


Should Scrum Masters Be Team Managers?

Should Scrum Masters Be Team Managers?


However, amidst the failure, this company pivoted. They recognized the misstep, realigned roles, and reinstated the Scrum Master's focus on facilitating the team's agility without managerial burdens. Their rebound became a testament to the importance of role clarity in achieving a thriving, agile environment.

Yet, why should the Scrum Master remain distinct from the manager? Let's outline key reasons:

  1. Maintaining Objectivity: A Scrum Master's neutrality fosters unbiased facilitation.
  2. Empowering Teams: Managers may inadvertently overshadow team autonomy.
  3. Focus on Process Improvement: Without managerial tasks, Scrum Masters dedicate wholly to refining the Scrum process.
  4. Mitigating Conflict of Interest: Avoiding conflicts arising from dual responsibilities ensures smoother team dynamics.
  5. Cultivating Leadership Amongst Team Members: A distinct manager nurtures leadership growth within the team.

Your perspective matters! Share your thoughts and experiences on this matter. Engage, comment, and let's expand this dialogue.

Remember, questioning norms fuels progress. Like and share if this has sparked a new perspective!



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About the Author - International Scrum Institute™


International Scrum Institute is the Leading Independent Training, Certification, and Accreditation Institute that helps Companies and Professionals get accredited with worldwide renowned and recognized Scrum Certifications and prove their competence in the Scrum Domain.

Scrum Institute empowers Scrum Professionals worldwide to build their Careers and Companies to sell their Outstanding Agile Products and Services.


Scrum Institute's popular Scrum Training serves more than 447,000 monthly visitors. Inside each training episode, Scrum Institute shares the biggest "a-ha moments" and software engineering secrets with complete transparency. From tough lessons learned, to mindset, to pure delivery strategy, Scrum Institute pulls you into a world of real engineering and business professionals, and shares journeys and secrets of many organizations to building great software, with no firefighting.

Scrum is an open Project Management Framework. Yet, before International Scrum Institute™ was founded for you, there has been no reasonable way for Scrum Professionals like yourself to obtain Scrum Certifications and prove your competence in the Scrum domain. Certified Scrum Professionals had to pay expensive fees for the one way profit-driven Scrum Certification Programs of other Certification Entities.

International Scrum Institute™ is on a mission to remove these barriers set in front of the Certified Scrum Professionals in developed and emerging markets by saving them from paying unreasonable fees for Scrum Classroom Trainings and Scrum Certification Examinations before they certify their knowhow in Scrum.


International Scrum Institute™ certifies 12 major Online Scrum Certification Programs designed by a consortium of renowned Business and People Leaders, Agile Coaches, Mentors, Experts and Authorities from all major Industries. Your Scrum Master, Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Team Member, Scrum Developer, Agile Coach, Scrum Trainer, Scaled Scrum Expert, Design Thinking, OKR (Objectives and Key Results), Agile Scrum Leadership Executive, Certified Kanban Expert (Kanban-EXP) and Certified Kanban Project Manager (Kanban-PM) Accredited Certification Programs from International Scrum Institute have proven their worldwide Acceptance and Reputation by being the choice of more than 683,700 Scrum Practitioners in 143 Countries.


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