tech·nic·al·ly agile

We hear self-managing teams so often it become a cliché

Explains how true self-management in Scrum requires active, disciplined effort from Product Owners, Scrum Masters, and Developers, not chaos or lack of structure.

Published on
1 minute read
Image
https://nkdagility.com/resources/FqiyqqNxjFS

We hear “self-managing teams” so often it’s become a cliché.

But here’s what gets missed:

Self-management applies to all Scrum roles.

Product Owners must self-manage how they engage with stakeholders, order the backlog, and shape the product vision.
Scrum Masters must self-manage how they serve the team, coach the organisation, and create the conditions for success.
Developers must self-manage how they plan, execute, and deliver the Increment.

This isn’t a passive concept.
It’s active, adaptive, disciplined work.

Scrum isn’t designed to be a loose, anything-goes framework.
It’s a social technology to deliver adaptive solutions — and that requires disciplined self-management across roles, grounded in clear alignment.

Where are you mistaking “self-management” for chaos or neglect?

Social Technologies Software Development Scrum Team Self Organisation Professional Scrum … 9 more Pragmatic Thinking Team Collaboration Agile Product Management Agile Philosophy Organisational Agility Product Delivery Agile Frameworks Team Motivation Sociotechnical Systems
Comments

Connect with Martin Hinshelwood

If you've made it this far, it's worth connecting with our principal consultant and coach, Martin Hinshelwood, for a 30-minute 'ask me anything' call.

Our Happy Clients​

We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.​

DFDS Logo
MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd. Logo
Alignment Healthcare Logo
ProgramUtvikling Logo
Jack Links Logo
Deliotte Logo
Xceptor - Process and Data Automation Logo
Flowmaster (a Mentor Graphics Company) Logo
Genus Breeding Ltd Logo
Qualco Logo
Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd Logo
Milliman Logo
Slaughter and May Logo
Lean SA Logo
Slicedbread Logo
Kongsberg Maritime Logo

NIT A/S

ALS Life Sciences Logo
Nottingham County Council Logo
New Hampshire Supreme Court Logo
Ghana Police Service Logo
Royal Air Force Logo
Washington Department of Enterprise Services Logo
Department of Work and Pensions (UK) Logo
Flowmaster (a Mentor Graphics Company) Logo
Epic Games Logo
Microsoft Logo
Akaditi Logo
Lean SA Logo
Higher Education Statistics Agency Logo