Self-Management

In Scrum, self-management means that the Scrum Team decides internally who does what, when, and how---without external direction. This empowers teams to organize their own work to best achieve the Sprint Goal.

J. Richard Hackman's authority model helps explain the shift:

• In a manager-led team, a manager monitors the work, assigns tasks, and controls how it's done.

• In a self-managed team, the team itself monitors progress, adjusts the work, and manages how goals are achieved.

Monitoring means keeping track of progress, challenges, and performance.
Managing means making decisions, adapting plans, and solving problems to stay on course.

In Scrum, this responsibility is inside the Scrum Team:

• Developers organize their own work.

• The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing product value, but doesn't direct how Developers work.

• The Scrum Master supports and coaches, but doesn't control or manage tasks.

This setup encourages ownership, flexibility, and continuous learning---qualities that are essential for success in complex, rapidly changing environments.

Self-management is not about working without structure---it's about giving the team authority and responsibility to achieve outcomes together.