Conflict on teams is normal and, handled well, productive. The Scrum Master's job is to create enough psychological safety that disagreements stay about the work, and to intervene when dynamics turn toxic — a dominant voice, silent disengagement, or chronic finger-pointing.
An approach
1. OBSERVE name the pattern factually, not the person
2. SAFETY reinforce that it's safe to disagree respectfully
3. SURFACE use 1:1s and retros to hear all sides
4. FACILITATE guide toward shared goals, not winners/losers
5. ESCALATE involve a manager only for HR-level issues
Concrete example
One engineer dominates every discussion. In the retro the Scrum Master introduces silent written input first, then round-robin sharing, so quieter members contribute. Privately, they coach the dominant member on creating space for others.
