I have a Functional Manager who insists on attending every Daily Scrum and assigning specific tasks to developers during the meeting. This is completely undermining the team's ability to self-organize and is creating a culture of fear. As a Scrum Master, how do I coach this person to step back without causing a political war within the company leadership?
3 answers
I had a similar situation last year. I invited the manager to a coffee chat and explained that their presence was inadvertently silencing the team. I suggested they act as a "Silent Observer" for a week. If they had questions, they could ask me after the 15 minutes. Once they saw the team could actually solve problems faster without being told what to do, they started to trust the process. You have to sell it as a way for them to have less stress, not less power.
Kimberly, what if the manager takes that "Silent Observer" role as an opportunity to just take notes and then grill individuals in 1-on-1s later? That seems even more damaging.
I find that giving the manager a high-level dashboard with the metrics they care about (like Cycle Time) keeps them satisfied so they don't feel the need to micromanage.
Agreed. Most micromanagement comes from a lack of visibility. If you give them a clear view of the progress, they usually back off.
Christopher, you have to address that behavior in the Retrospective (if they aren't there) or via a direct coaching session. If they grill people privately, the team will stop being transparent. I often share articles on "Psychological Safety" with such managers to show the data-driven benefits of trust.