Outsider: The role of a Jester in a (scrum) team
Jesters have been around as long as Kings. They appear in documented history across all parts of the world. The typical medieval or Renaissance jester was an outsider shunned by society for various reasons. His position put him outside the existing social framework, but his alienation only sharpened his insight into human nature. They were also the original “truth-tellers”. As teams settle into a cadence, the role of a jester inside a team is one I have come to appreciate more with each passing day.
What do teams do as they are storming & performing?
Over a period of a few months, in some cases, longer, teams mature and deliver software in a sustainable manner. But often, teams also seem to lose the spark that takes them from good to great. Work seems mundane and eventually, the teams slide back into anti-patterns (in the worst cases) and ordinary (in case of the better ones). Such a pattern can make team members lose motivation quickly and most of them will opt to leave for the next exciting thing that comes along.
Part of the magic of creating great products is understanding the nature of the product, the need it fulfills and the value the team is providing. Frequently, this comes by interacting with users to gain insights. However, in a world of applications that are growing in complexity and size, firms are increasing the use of outsourced teams and multiple suppliers, with teams sometimes located in multiple continents and time zones. Access to end users and direct feedback becomes a distant dream.
This is where an individual in the team playing the role of the jester can be very useful. So what do I expect this jester to do? I expect them to challenge. Challenge what? Everything. From the value of the feature, to the design, to the approach the team wants to use. To say the things that everyone else in a comfort zone is not saying out loud. To call out the elephant in the room. To be blunt, make it awkward to avoid his/her questions and go as far as to question the very need for the product if there is no case for it. Sure, a performance on these lines is likely to raise hackles within the team, but done with a positive intent, driven by data to ask these questions and executed directly, but with elegance, it can open up the conversation towards areas which have languished in the shadows for a long time. If a team cannot face up to these and come up with areas to improve the product, their own ways of working and their quality — someone else is likely to do this out of sight and the team will lose anyway. The “truth-teller” can thus be the pivot of driving change and improvements for a team. They were given special dispensation to say anything about anyone, including the king (in our case, the entire system). They were given leeway to point out the follies of the social and political structures. The jester kept the master in check, giving him an honest assessment of his decisions, character, and actions. I have seen teams, end users and product owners appreciate this — for good feedback and inputs are always difficult to come by.
Every time that I have seen a team that has pivoted — there has been a jester shaking up the scene. I suspect the same was true for most Kings that chose paths less trodden.
