The Scrum Master as a Change Artist – Nimesh Soni

One of the four values of the Agile Manifesto is “Responding to change over following a plan.”  Further, according to Scrum.org, there are 8 stances of a Scrum Master:

1. Impediment Remover
2. Facilitator 
3. Coach
4. Teacher
5. Mentor
6. Manager of Process
7. Change Agent
8. Servant Leader

Change is hard and change can be scary and uncomfortable. It can sometimes require sacrifice and it certainly can require courage. 

Scrum Masters, when helping organizations to change should remember to walk lightly and deploy change not with swiftness but with gentleness, respect, understanding, and in small incremental ways.  

People don’t resist change; they resist being changed

Peter Senge

What is a Change Artist?

In this article, I explore the concept of change and being a change artist when in the role of a Scrum Master or Flow Manager. 

What does it mean to be a change artist? why it’s one of the more challenging stances to take as a Scrum Master or Flow Manager, why change is hard, and some ways that a Scrum Master and Flow Manager can navigate the sometimes-treacherous waters to effectuate change, even if that change only makes ripples.

Some good definitions of a change artist are:

• “A person who helps an organization transform itself by focusing on organizational effectiveness, improvement, and development.” https://www.scrum.org
• “People who act as catalysts for change.”  https://www.scrum.org 
• Within the context of Scrum, Geoff Watts describes the role of the Scrum Master as a change agent: “A good Scrum Master helps a Scrum Team survive in an organization’s culture. A great Scrum Master helps change the culture so Scrum Teams can thrive.” Geoff Watts, Scrum Mastery
• Leading and coaching the organization in its Scrum adoption
• Planning Scrum implementations within the organization
• Helping employees and stakeholders understand and enact Scrum and empirical product development
• Causing change that increases the productivity of the Scrum Team
• Working with other Scrum Masters to increase the effectiveness of the application of Scrum in the organization “The Scrum Guide,” Jeff Sutherland & Ken Schwaber, 2020

To enable a culture in which Scrum teams can flourish, the Scrum Master should act as a change artist. The Scrum Master helps create an environment that allows the spirit of Scrum and Agile to thrive. The Scrum Guide defines this part of the Scrum Master role as serving the organization in:

• Leading and coaching the organization in its Scrum adoption
• Planning Scrum implementations within the organization
• Helping employees and stakeholders understand and enact Scrum and empirical product development
• Causing change that increases the productivity of the Scrum Team
• Working with other Scrum Masters to increase the effectiveness of the application of Scrum in the organization “The Scrum Guide,” Jeff Sutherland & Ken Schwaber, 2020

As a change artist, the truly great Scrum Masters become visible. These are Scrum Masters that know how to shift the status quo and help create a more suitable environment according to.  They know when to be disruptive and when to be careful. They understand organizational changes can take time to come to fruition. 

It’s their willingness to change that is the catalyst for driving an organization forward.  Scrum provides a lens into where problems are; making bottlenecks clear and visible. A truly great Scrum Master or Flow Leader will create the footing needed to address the dysfunctions in an organization; with the hope and goal of establishing a culture in which teams can excel and thrive. 

I argue that the stance of Change Artist is very often rejected by organizations. Most organizations don’t provide the necessary support and environments and therefore Scrum Masters neglect to take this stance for fear of retribution or downright rejection. Many organizations truly don’t understand what a Scrum Master’s roles and responsibilities are, or the impact they bring. As they miss that, they miss the opportunity to leverage themselves as change leaders. 

Change is always hard, especially when it comes to executing your business plan or strategy.

As logical and beneficial that improving on execution has been proven to be, many still ignore it and others fiercely resist it

Jenn Reichenbacher

Change is a commitment borne of cultures that value continuous improvement and achieving results. They understand what the status quo means and the impact that it will have on the organization. This limits everything; growth potential, future products, and services, and ultimately the degree of success the company will experience.

Scrum Masters are leaders responsible for the effectiveness of their teams. Without the organization’s support from the top, how can Scrum Masters influence change? How can Scrum Masters avoid being influenced by the actions or inactions of leaders from the top, those they report to? The answer is a partnership. Scrum Masters and management should be partnering in helping everyone in the organization become comfortable with change.

According to Geoff Watts in his book “Scrum Mastery: From Good to Great Servant Leadership,” Scrum Masters will come to realize that without at least some changes to the organization, agile teams may not be as optimal in their delivery. Quality will suffer because of a lack of focus on peer review or pair programming, for instance. The impacts can be profound, such as an increase in technical debt as a result of escaped defects in production, loss of current and future customers, resulting loss of revenue, or loss of even the business as a whole. 

There are effective ways that a Scrum Master or Flow Manager can help their teams cope with change. One way is through the application of the Satir Change Model created by a therapist by the name of Virginia Satir. She was a social worker and family therapist when she created the model. Many non-agile and agile professionals have used it to reflect the phases that literally all changes go through. Scrum Masters and Flow Managers can use the model that they can explain to help their teams as well as individuals, organizations, and groups, think about, align with, and navigate their changing landscapes. 

This model helps a Scrum Master to first solidify that change is exactly what he or she may fear already and that’s, change doesn’t often come instantaneously, and often there are steps that are taken to get to the change that does occur. There are roadmaps in the form of change models, experience, and advice that can serve you in your change journey. Satir is one such model and as I mention below, there are others. The plan is to understand them enough to determine when one should be applied over the other.

The Satir Change Model

At the heart of the Satir Change Model is the conviction that things are always possible to get better. However, this takes time and things usually get worse before they get better.

Satir’s Change model establishes the following stage for any change:

• Late Status Quo
• Introduction of a Foreign Element
• Resistance or “Valley of Despair”
• Chaos
• Discovery of a Transforming Idea
• Integration
• New Status Quo
• Breathe
• As you can see, the Satir Change Model provides a frame for discussing the path through change. One of the best books on Satir is Gerald Weinberg’s Becoming a Change Artist.

In conclusion, Scrum Masters and Flow Managers aren’t just teachers, mentors, facilitators, impediment removers, managers of processes, coaches, and servant leaders.  They are change artists.  Scrum Masters and Flow Managers need to acknowledge this, self-reflect, and continuously invoke this stance when there is a call or need for it.  

It’s imperative that Scrum Masters and Flow Managers continue through communication and action to remind those around you of this fact. A Scrum Master and Flow Manager’s role and responsibilities are not to be Jira admins, note takers, scribes, or meeting schedulers they must have the courage to respectfully demonstrate and verbally communicate that they are change artists or are doing a disservice to themselves, their profession, their organization, and teams. 

I encourage you and challenge you to explore some of the other change management models out there like Kotter’s Change Model, McKinsey 7-S Model, Nudge Theory, ADKAR Change Management Model, etc. Start invoking all the stances of a Scrum Master that can make you a great Scrum Master. Take some action toward becoming a more effective change artist such as:

• Become more flexible 
• Improve your active listening skills
• Create a list of changes you identify, assess their value in relation to the company’s business goals and stack rank them. Start chipping away slowly and methodically at what needs changing
• Have regular conversations with your peers about change and practice having conversations with stakeholders and your teams around change through a construct such as Scrum Master Guild
• Create a Scrum Master contract or working agreement with Management around Change Artistry to ensure understanding of the role of an SM as a Change Artist
• Practice the art of Change Artistry…don’t just rest on your laurels. 

Scrum Masters and Flow Managers should bring out the best in themselves and others.  Scrum Masters and Flow Managers are in the business of change. 

About the Author

I am an Agile Coach, certified Kanban Coach as well as a Technical Product Manager working with DevOps, Software Development, and Telco and Mobility service delivery teams. I am an avid writer and speaker with a diverse background in Scrum, Agile, Kanban, DevOps and product management. […more]

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