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Coaching Scrum Teams Through Conflict Navigation and Effective Communication Strategies
Internal conflict can have a major impact on Scrum team dynamics and cohesion. As a ScrumMaster, learning how to deal with these conflicts can become a major part of your everyday job.
On the other hand, conflict is natural in any vibrant Scrum team. A fear of conflict in a Scrum team is not a good sign and can signify team apathy. Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, names “fear of conflict” as one of the five dysfunctions. A ScrumMaster needs to learn how to coach the team to navigate conflict rather than avoid it.
In my previous experience as a technical coordinator, before embracing Scrum, I didn’t have to go into the face of conflict very often, because team members in conflict had to deal with their issues by escalating them to their managers. I’ve realized that what ScrumMasters need is a “conflict management workout”: a number of simple practices to keep in mind when trying to navigate conflict effectively.
Below a summary of those practices, as stated by Carl Robinson in his 13 Steps for Navigating Conflict Effectively:
