As team working across hybrid workplaces becomes key, how can psychological safety bring your organisation success?
CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Aspire
When Google managers observed 180 of their teams they were shocked to learn that psychological safety was a key determinant of success.
What is psychological safety?
Amy Edmonson, a Harvard professor who has pioneered research in the area, defines psychological safety as ‘a belief that the context is safe for interpersonal risk taking’. In a nutshell, psychological safety allows people to have a voice, offer their own insights and opinions whilst feeling safe to take sensible risks without fear of retaliation. People want to feel valued.
What are the adverse effects of a culture devoid of psychological safety?
Science has shown that the pain centre of the brain becomes activated in circumstances devoid of psychological safety. The lack of psychological safety could be the biggest destroyer of team performance as the vast array of expertise, ideas and insights that are available in the room will be overlooked in favour of a dangerously narrow perspective.
Four things leaders can do to build psychological safety
Inclusion safety: human beings have an innate need for acceptance so when people join the team/organisation it is imperative to make them feel part of the shared identity.
Learner safety: leaders can ensure that members of the team feel safe to provide input, ask questions in meetings and have the freedom to make mistakes so long as they consistently learn as a result; in this way, a climate of confident and resilient individuals start to evolve.
Contributor safety: it is always good for a leader to reflect and ask themself ‘How much autonomy do I truly give to my team?’ Are you someone who only respects the insights and ideas of the highly educated, or do you acknowledge that key insights can come from the most unlikely people? Leaders must encourage others to contribute to the team when the time is right.
Challenger safety: leaders have an obligation to create a climate of openness and honesty in which members of the team/organisation feel confident to express their opinions, even if these oppose those in positions of power.
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