# Leadership Gap in Agile Teams: How Teams and Scrum Masters Mature

**Authors:** Simone V. Spiegler, Christoph Heinecke, Stefan Wagner  
**arXiv:** [1812.07867](https://arxiv.org/abs/1812.07867)  
**Date:** 2018-12-19  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/1812.07867v1/

## Key points

- Scrum Master role is crucial in agile teams
- Lack of empirical research on how this role evolves as the team matures
- Qualitative interviews conducted with 53 practitioners from 29 software and non-software project teams at Robert Bosch GmbH
- Study aimed to understand how the Scrum Master role changes over time as the team matures
- Initially, Scrum Masters play nine leadership roles which they gradually transfer to the team while it matures
- Transition occurs through providing a leadership gap that allows team members to take on leadership roles and creating an internal environment with communication on equal terms, psychological safety, transparency, shared understanding, shared purpose and self-efficacy.
- Trust and freedom for team members to assume leadership roles are essential enablers for successful transition of these roles from the Scrum Master to the team.
- Findings provide valuable insights for practitioners looking to implement agile teams in established companies.

## Summary

The Scrum Master role is a crucial component in agile teams. However, there remains a lack of empirical research on how this role evolves as the team matures. To address this gap, the authors conducted qualitative interviews with 53 practitioners from 29 software and non-software project teams at Robert Bosch GmbH using Grounded Theory methodology. The study aimed to understand how the Scrum Master role changes over time as the team matures. The results showed that initially, Scrum Masters play nine leadership roles which they gradually transfer to the team while it matures. This transition occurs through providing a leadership gap that allows team members to take on leadership roles and creating an internal environment with communication on equal terms, psychological safety, transparency, shared understanding, shared purpose and self-efficacy. Trust and freedom for team members to assume leadership roles are essential enablers for successful transition of these roles from the Scrum Master to the team. These findings provide valuable insights for practitioners looking to implement agile teams in established companies.