Explains how true self-management in Scrum requires active, disciplined effort from Product Owners, Scrum Masters, and Developers, not chaos or lack of structure.
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?
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
Slaughter and May
Boxit Document Solutions
Lockheed Martin
Bistech
ALS Life Sciences
Emerson Process Management
Sage
MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd.
Schlumberger
SuperControl
Akaditi
Qualco
Healthgrades
Big Data for Humans
DFDS
ProgramUtvikling
Philips
Washington Department of Enterprise Services
Royal Air Force
New Hampshire Supreme Court
Washington Department of Transport
Nottingham County Council
Ghana Police Service
Slicedbread
Jack Links
SuperControl
Emerson Process Management
Teleplan
Boxit Document Solutions