When Scrum Gets Political: Navigating Office Dynamics in Agile Teams

Why do some Scrum teams thrive while others quietly fall apart despite following the same rituals? Is it just about the framework, or is something else at play beneath the surface? Sometimes, the very things that make Scrum work, such as collaboration, ownership, and adaptability, also make it vulnerable to office politics.   

Even those who’ve taken the best Scrum Courses find themselves caught in situations where influence outweighs logic. The Scrum Methodology promises transparency and self-organisation, but what happens when subtle power plays creep into sprint planning or retrospectives? Let’s explore how politics quietly shape Agile teams and what you can do about it.  

Table of Contents  

• Political Underpinnings of Common Scrum Challenges  

• Spotting and Handling Politics in Scrum Teams  

• Conclusion  

Political Underpinnings of Common Scrum Challenges

Many problems that appear technical or procedural on the surface are actually political. The first step in solving the problem is to determine the motive.  

Hidden Agendas in Backlog Prioritisation  

Product Owners are supposed to speak for the customer. However, sometimes, the product backlog becomes a battleground for individuals within the company who seek to advance their department’s agenda. This shifts priority away from what users want and towards political benefit. It becomes less about what the client wants and more about where the company stands.  

Sprints That Serve Status, Not Value  

Sprint goals should show that you are making real progress. However, teams could end up building things that appear fantastic in demos but ultimately don’t provide much help. A lot of the time, this is because there is pressure to demonstrate senior management visible results instead of focussing on improvements that are less flashy but more important.  

Dominant Voices in Retrospectives  

Retrospectives are times when teams assess how to operate more effectively. However, if one person on the team or in charge talks too much, it prevents others from contributing. Often, junior team members are hesitant to raise concerns because they fear their opinions may harm their careers.  

Spotting and Handling Politics in Scrum Teams

People generally don’t notice these problems until they hurt trust or delivery. Here’s how to identify them early and address them without compromising Agile principles: 

Identifying Signs of Politics in Scrum Events  

Office politics rarely reveal themselves openly. Instead, they affect how people act and what they choose to do. There are some symptoms to look out for:  

• Changing priorities repeatedly without a good rationale. 

• Not speaking out or contributing during retrospectives or planning meetings. 

• Making decisions without getting everyone on the same page.   

• Praise or acclaim is unfairly given to certain people, no matter the contribution. 

• Stories that are “refined” or changed after the team has approved them.   

If you observe these symptoms, the problem may not be with Scrum itself but rather with the politics surrounding it.  

Managing Power Plays Without Compromising Agility  

Fear, competition, and the drive for recognition are all common causes of office politics. You can’t eliminate them, but you can control how they impact a Scrum team. This needs a careful mix of strong leadership and a culture of support.  

The Scrum Master needs to be neutral and protect the process from being taken over. The Scrum Master should always bring conversations back to the agreed-upon norms and values, whether it’s a stakeholder trying to squeeze work into a sprint or a senior engineer overriding others. Changing who shares updates or giving each voice a predetermined amount of time to speak can help make things fairer.  

Manipulation thrives in situations where things are unclear. A strict and shared Definition of Done can help keep arguments to a minimum. Additionally, team-agreed metrics based on outcomes rather than individual performance make political behaviour less necessary. There is less room for hidden agendas if everyone knows what is important and why.  

Not every opinion should affect a sprint. It’s important to keep stakeholder involvement organised. Sprint reviews are available to everyone, but backlog grooming and sprint preparation should primarily involve team conversations. Setting a clear line around who contributes where eliminates strategic meddling.  

Conclusion

Scrum can be very useful, but it doesn’t work alone; it has to deal with office politics. Teams can remain faithful to Agile principles by being aware of where dynamics arise and using planned measures to mitigate their impact. Consider The Knowledge Academy courses to strengthen your skills in managing Scrum teams and handling complex team dynamics effectively.