Trust Building in Distributed Scrum

Correct Answer: Facilitate a spirit of cooperation and shared goals by having a closed-door discussion with them. Encourage them to place the team and the product over personal issues.

In a situation where two team members have a personal feud affecting the team's morale, the best approach as a ScrumMaster is to facilitate a spirit of cooperation and shared goals. You can do this by having a closed-door discussion with them (the first answer). Encouraging them to place the team and the project over their personal issues can help resolve the conflict. The other offered options are not advisable. Ignoring the feud (second answer) does not resolve the situation and can end up leading to more distractions and conflict. Taking sides (third answer) can cause further friction within the team and does not help in solving the root cause of the problem. Publicly reprimanding them (fourth answer) can lead to resentment and could possibly escalate the situation instead of resolving it. It is better to address the issue privately and professionally.

Correct Answer: Organize regular team-building activities that encourage cultural sharing and help team members understand and appreciate each other's backgrounds and perspectives.

Organizing regular team-building activities that encourage cultural sharing and help team members understand and appreciate each other's backgrounds and perspectives is the best strategy for the ScrumMaster to foster trust and improve collaboration among the distributed Scrum team members. This approach addresses the root cause of the trust issues by promoting cross-cultural understanding and empathy. It creates a safe space for team members to learn about each other's cultures, break down stereotypes, and find common ground. Through shared experiences and open communication during these activities, team members can build stronger bonds and develop a sense of trust and respect for one another. The other options, such as assigning tasks to pairs, implementing strict communication protocols, or encouraging learning basic phrases, may help to some extent but do not address the underlying cultural differences and may even create additional tension or resentment among team members.

Correct Answer: Organize overlapping working hours and facilitate video conferencing for team engagements to encourage better interaction.

The most effective approach to addressing complaints about the lack of cohesion and trust within a distributed team is to facilitate communication and collaboration. This can be achieved by organizing overlapping working hours and facilitating video conferencing for team engagements to encourage better interaction. This approach takes into consideration the differences in time zones, and it promotes interaction and collaboration, hence improving cohesion and trustIgnoring the complaints as suggested by another answer, does not address the issue, but rather overlooks it. It is important for a ScrumMaster to address all concerns raised by team members as this might affect team performance in the long runImplementing a stricter reporting system as implied by another option might not necessarily improve cohesion and trust. Instead, it could lead to a culture of fear and might demotivate the team members. It also does not address the issue of time zone differences and lack of direct interaction among team membersForcing all team members to work in the same time zone regardless of their location, as suggested by another option, might not be feasible or fair. It might also lead to dissatisfaction and could disrupt the work-life balance of the team members.