Does Agile Coaching by Scrum Masters Improve Teams’ Understanding of Value?
In an exploratory analysis of 67 practitioners(1), “Understanding of Value” was not significantly correlated with the degree of Agile Coaching. Instead, “Alignment” significantly predicted value understanding, suggesting coaching alone may not shift how teams grasp value.
Metaphor
Agile coaching without alignment is like giving someone the best map-reading lessons while their compass still points the wrong way. The skill of reading the map improves, but they still won’t end up where they need to go.
For teams, understanding value comes less from the coaching itself and more from aligning direction with business goals and customer needs.
Coaching teams on processes alone doesn’t help them understand their organizational context or build relationships with stakeholders—yet those connections are essential for addressing stakeholder concerns.