CSM Service to the Scrum Team Practice Question
A Scrum Master observes that the Scrum Team lacks trust and avoids conflict during Retrospectives. Which TWO actions should the Scrum Master take to improve the situation?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often choose answers that involve the Scrum Master acting as a mediator or forcing team members to resolve conflicts, rather than coaching them and fostering a safe environment.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Introduce team-building exercises and formats for Retrospectives that encourage open communication and psychological safety.
A Scrum Master focuses on creating a safe environment where team members feel comfortable being vulnerable. By choosing activities that foster open communication and by coaching the team on conflict resolution, the Scrum Master directly improves team health. This is essential because without trust and the ability to navigate healthy conflict, teams cannot effectively inspect their process or continuously improve their performance over time.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Report the team's lack of trust to the department head to initiate performance management.
Why it's wrong here
Escalating internal team dynamics to management outside the team violates the principle of team autonomy. This creates fear and destroys psychological safety. The Scrum Master should handle team issues internally through coaching and facilitation, ensuring the team feels safe to address their own problems without fear of external repercussions.
- ✓
Introduce team-building exercises and formats for Retrospectives that encourage open communication and psychological safety.
Why this is correct
Using structured activities helps move the team beyond surface-level interactions. By creating a safe space to share observations and feelings, the Scrum Master facilitates the development of trust. This allows the team to tackle difficult topics that are necessary for real improvement and effective collaboration in future Sprints.
- ✗
Conduct private interviews with each member and present the findings to the team.
Why it's wrong here
Presenting private feedback publicly often causes defensiveness and undermines trust. While individual coaching is useful, the Scrum Master should encourage the team to communicate directly with each other. Facilitating direct, transparent communication is key to building a high-performing team that can resolve its own issues without intermediaries.
- ✓
Coach the team on the value of constructive conflict and how to navigate disagreements productively.
Why this is correct
Healthy conflict is necessary for innovation and deep problem-solving. Coaching the team to separate the issue from the person allows them to discuss disagreements without creating personal animosity. This increases the team's resilience and allows them to address complex challenges while maintaining strong interpersonal relationships and shared team goals.
- ✗
Facilitate the Retrospective by acting as the sole arbiter of which team member is right in a disagreement.
Why it's wrong here
The Scrum Master is not a judge or decision-maker for the team. Taking on this role makes the team dependent on the Scrum Master and stifles their self-management. Instead, the Scrum Master should facilitate the discussion so the team can reach their own consensus on how to improve.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Scrum Alliance exam blueprint
This CSM practice question is part of Courseiva's free Scrum Alliance certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CSM exam.