Everyone loves the idea of self-managing teams. Give people autonomy, let them decide how to work, and everything just falls into place, right?
Not quite.
Scrum isn’t about letting teams work however they like. It’s about bounded autonomy—freedom within a framework. Self-management means teams decide how to deliver value, but within the constraints of Scrum events, commitments, and organisational needs. The alignment comes from shared goals, accountability, and structure. Without it, self-management becomes chaos.
Too much control? Teams disengage, becoming passive executors. Too little? Work becomes fragmented, directionless, and ultimately ineffective. True agility is the ability to adapt while staying aligned with the bigger picture.
If your teams are struggling, ask yourself: Is the problem too much control, or too little alignment?
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.
We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.
Jack Links
Deliotte
NIT A/S
Boxit Document Solutions
Slaughter and May
ProgramUtvikling
Illumina
Graham & Brown
Lean SA
DFDS
YearUp.org
MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd.
Kongsberg Maritime
Epic Games
Hubtel Ghana
Teleplan
Brandes Investment Partners L.P.
CR2
Nottingham County Council
Ghana Police Service
Department of Work and Pensions (UK)
New Hampshire Supreme Court
Royal Air Force
Washington Department of Enterprise Services
MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd.
Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd
Kongsberg Maritime
Teleplan
Milliman
Brandes Investment Partners L.P.