Coaching and Facilitation

Correct Answer: Encourage the team to establish a Working Agreement that includes guidelines on how to handle disagreements and conflict.

The best approach for a Scrum Master dealing with trust issues within the team is to facilitate processes that encourage team engagement and collective agreement on work norms which aid in conflict resolution. The correct answer empowers the team to address and prevent the root causes of conflict together, fostering a sense of ownership and trust. Direct intervention by the Scrum Master, implementing a reporting system, or holding individual meetings might provide short-term solutions but do not address the underlying issues or promote team cohesion and trust in the long term. Specifically, direct intervention might lead to over-reliance on the Scrum Master for conflict resolution, while a reporting system could erode trust further. Individual meetings, although well-intentioned in understanding everyone's perspective, could inadvertently create an atmosphere of secrecy and mistrust if not handled with extreme care.

Correct Answer: Introduce team-building exercises that focus on collaboration and understanding each other's strengths.

Building trust within a team involves creating an environment where team members feel comfortable, respected, and valued. Introducing team-building exercises specifically designed to enhance collaboration and mutual understanding directly targets the development of trust. Rotating team roles might improve versatility but does not directly influence trust-building. Implementing strict deadlines for individual tasks could create unnecessary pressure and competition, potentially harming trust. Technical workshops are beneficial for skill-sharing but are less effective than targeted activities for building interpersonal trust among the team members.

Correct Answer: Organize a team workshop about communication and propose a 'Working Agreement' which sets out communication norms.

The best course of action when there's a constant negative communication tone within the development team is to 'Organize a team workshop about communication and propose a 'Working Agreement' which sets out communication norms.' This approach addresses the problem at its root by promoting openness and fostering a better communication atmosphere. It helps the team understand its issues, educate, and set expectations about respectful and professional communication. The other options are less effective. 'Warn each member of the team individually' might increase defensiveness and negativity, missing the goal of improving communication. 'Ignore the situation and hope for improvement over time' is a passive approach that might rather perpetuate the negative communication. 'Tell them directly to stop being toxic' can paradoxically increase toxicity because it blames and confronts team members instead of a constructive and educative approach.