Quote for the Day

“Know your worth then ask for it.”

Casey Brown

Psychological Safety at Work

The topic for my March Growth & Profit Club session was Psychological Safety at Work. It refers to the belief that, as a member of a team, you will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes. In a team context, it means that team members feel they can take risks without being shamed by others.

This concept is based on research by Amy Edmonson at Harvard Business School. Here are some key points about psychological safety that we discussed:

Definition

• Psychological safety means feeling safe to take interpersonal risks, to speak up, to disagree openly and to surface concerns without fear of negative repercussions or pressure to sugarcoat bad news.
• It nurtures an environment where people feel encouraged to share creative ideas without fear of personal judgement or stepping on toes.

Importance

• When psychological safety exists in the workplace, it promotes innovation and strengthens community.
• It allows individuals to focus on accomplishing team goals and preventing problems rather than merely protecting themselves.

Contributing Factors

Several factors contribute to psychological safety:

• Interpersonal Relationships: Building trust and positive connections with colleagues.
• Group Dynamics: Creating an inclusive and supportive team environment.
• Leadership: Encouraging open communication and modelling vulnerability.
• Organisational Norms:  Establishing a culture that values psychological safety.

Assessing It

To gauge whether your team has psychological safety, consider:

• How freely team members express their opinions.
• Whether they feel comfortable taking risks and expressing concerns.
• The level of trust that is within the team.

Creating It

• Make psychological safety an explicit priority.
• Encourage asking for help and freely giving assistance when asked.
• Set expectations and share them.
• Set out how it can work here.
• Sell the Benefits.
• Criticise the process, not the person.
• Express appreciation.
• Destigmatise failure.
• Have a good plan and check progress regularly.

Common Misconceptions

• Psychological safety is not about avoiding accountability; it’s about creating an environment where accountability can thrive.
• It’s not about eliminating conflict; rather, it enables constructive conflict resolution.

Psychological safety is essential for fostering collaboration, creativity and overall wellbeing in any team or organisation.

If you would like to complete a diagnostic, which comprises 7 questions, or need some help implementing Psychological Safety in your organisation, just ask alan@mrwcs.com