Psychological Safety at Work
Recently I wrote about seeking comfort and our tendency to avoid difficult conversations at work. We know that without diversity in opinions, approaches, and ideas, we don’t evolve as a team, business, or industry but in order for that work to be productive, we need a team of open-minded professionals and a space that encourages challenging conversations at all levels.
Today, I want to dig a little bit deeper into the concept (and importance of psychological safety). I want to share not only what it looks like, but some tools to help you evaluate your team environment so you can adjust as needed, and watch how the results improve and multiply when we aren’t afraid of the tough stuff.
Psychological Safety is defined as being able to show and employ one's self without fear of negative consequences of self-image, status, or career (1). It can be defined as a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. In psychologically safe teams, team members feel accepted and respected (2).
For me, Psychological Safety looks like this:
- Respectfully asking for more information to challenge a situation, thought, or concept
- Asking the question to identify how the idea ties back to the original agreed goal/outcome
- Expecting to be challenged when you present an idea, so the person you're presenting to can clarify and grow
Pretending we agree to avoid hurting feelings, and expecting the same from others keeps us in a forever loop of unsatisfying meetings.
Reminder: all of these things help us accomplish our work effectively.
So, here are a few ways you as a leader can evaluate the safety of your team, and make adjustments if needed to promote individual and combined growth.
Are the goals and outcomes shared prior to a meeting or call? If not, try sharing this ahead of time and make it clear at the beginning of the call that this is a time for open dialogue so that together, you can be successful on this topic.
Are the same few people speaking at every meeting while others are staying quiet? Make a point to go around the room throughout the meeting and ask some that tend to be quiet what their thoughts are on the topic.
When there is an idea challenged, how does your team respond? As a leader, you can moderate a healthy conversation.
Lead by example. Make time for discussions, embrace new concepts, and celebrate wins (even the small ones!).
(1) Kahn, William A. (1990-12-01). "Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement at Work". Academy of Management Journal. 33 (4): 692–724. doi:10.2307/256287. ISSN 0001-4273. JSTOR 256287.
(2) Edmondson, Amy (1 June 1999). "Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams" (PDF). Administrative Science Quarterly. 44 (2): 350–383. doi:10.2307/2666999. JSTOR 2666999.