Trial and Error to Enhance Team Communication

My team members, except for myself and the manager, seldom speak up. I became a Scrum Master last month and have been pondering how to invigorate our team. For the first three weeks or so, I wanted to respect the autonomy of the team members and stopped conducting Scrum events that they were reluctant to participate in, leaving only the Daily Scrum. I had hoped that this would lead to voices suggesting the necessity of the other Scrum events, but such feedback never emerged, and I feel the team's situation has worsened. Given that the team members weren't inherently interested in Scrum, expecting spontaneous suggestions was perhaps unrealistic. Still, I decided to trust the team members and continued with this approach, though I've been questioning if it's the right move as no suggestions have come forward.

The lack of a platform for dialogue, which is called "Ba" in Japanese, among team members is a problem. I've realized that just having the Daily Scrum isn't enough to foster communication. Perhaps it's necessary to create a separate space for team members to interact.

To instill a Scrum mindset in the team members, I've told them they can chat anytime and have been constantly available on Slack Huddle, hoping to gradually teach those interested in Scrum. However, hardly anyone has taken the opportunity to chat. Joining a Slack Huddle might seem like a high barrier for some.

I have to admit and want to be honest. The past three weeks have been a failure. I firmly believe that merely conducting lifeless Scrum events is definitely problematic. However, having a gathering point for team members, even if just in form, might have been valuable.

When discontinuing Scrum events, I did tell the team members that we could revive them when they felt necessity. So, reviving some form of event now should not be an issue.

However, considering that some members are resistant to Scrum, reintroducing Scrum events as they were might meet with resistance. I'm contemplating holding some sort of ad hoc workshop, not necessarily called a Scrum event. I want it to resemble a Sprint Retrospective but focus on team building rather than looking back. Organizing these ad hoc meetings every time is challenging, but I want to try it several times to encourage conversations among team members.

Interestingly, the team had no problem communicating during a welcome party we recently held. Why do they stop talking when it comes to work? If they can speak freely then, I wish they would bring that into their work.

Lastly, as much as I hate to admit it, my behavior might be turning the team members into zombies. Some members may not like me. Maybe I lack the trust of the team members, but as a Scrum Master, I still hope to see the team become more vibrant. I have much to learn myself.