Think about the worst team you have ever worked in. Perhaps you didn’t feel confident asking for help, admitting mistakes or sharing your thoughts and ideas. Or maybe you just weren’t comfortable being your authentic self. It’s likely you didn’t feel ‘safe’ in this team.
In this article, we explore the concept of psychological safety and the transformational impact it can have on business performance. We also consider ways in which to build psychological safety at work.
In this article, we will cover:
- What is psychological safety?
- Why is psychological safety important to organisations?
- What are the barriers to psychological safety in the workplace?
- Is your workplace psychologically safe?
- How to build psychological safety at work
What is psychological safety?
The concept has been around for many decades, but psychological safety has gained traction following research conducted by Dr Amy Edmondson in 1999. The study took place in a clinical environment, evaluating the relationship between errors and teamwork. Dr Edmondson was surprised to find that high performing teams made more mistakes than lower performing teams. After further investigation, Dr Edmondson found that the higher performing teams were more willing to report their mistakes as they felt safe to do so, rather than feeling the need to conceal their mistakes. As a result of the research, Dr Edmondson codified the concept of psychological safety, i.e.:
“The belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes, and that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking”
Psychological safety is the cornerstone of high performing teams. It is a shared expectation held by team members that they won’t be embarrassed, punished or rejected for sharing ideas, making mistakes, asking for help, taking risks, raising concerns or challenging authority and/or the status quo. Individuals feel comfortable being their authentic selves, and are confident that team members will support them and leaders will value their input and honesty.
Why is psychological safety important to organisations?
Psychological safety at work has been shown to have a myriad of benefits, including business performance, innovation, learning, resilience and reduced conflict, as well as employee engagement and retention.
It can lead to improved decision making as team members are more likely to voice their opinions and concerns, resulting in a diverse range of perspectives being considered. Team members are more engaged and motivated as they feel valued.
What’s more, psychological safety plays a fundamental role in creating a culture of continuous learning and improvement, as people aren’t scared to share their mistakes and discuss their learnings. In Google’s Project Aristotle, the project team found that the most important factor impacting team effectiveness was psychological safety.
In contrast, teams that don’t have high levels of psychological safety are unlikely to achieve their full potential: creative ideas go unsaid; valuable feedback isn’t communicated or heard; mistakes are hidden; learnings aren’t shared; and team members become disengaged.
What are the barriers to psychological safety in the workplace?
Psychological safety will struggle to flourish in organisations that do not have strong leadership practices in place. All too often, management skills are prioritised over leadership skills, but as Grace Hopper said: ‘you manage things, you lead people’. An example of this is the way in which leaders respond when mistakes are made. If a team member is criticised or punished, this is likely to result in errors being concealed in future. If blame is replaced with curiosity, this will create the conditions in which psychological safety can develop.
Similarly, poor communication will also prevent teams from becoming psychologically safe. If team members feel ignored, out of the loop or disrespected, they are likely to avoid interacting and may disengage.
Unconscious bias (i.e. a bias towards a particular group of people) may also act as a barrier. Unconscious bias is inherent in all of us, and is based upon our own background, beliefs and experiences. Often leaders will have a preference for individuals who are similar to themselves. This unconscious bias can mean that some team members are favoured over others, resulting in an exclusive rather than an inclusive and diverse culture.
The recent rise in home working has also had an impact on the development of psychological safety, as team members who are based in different locations may find it harder to build trust and to work collaboratively.
Is your workplace psychologically safe?
To understand whether your workplace is psychologically safe, ask yourself these questions:
- Do team members feel safe to speak up with ideas, questions or concerns?
- Do team members regularly share their mistakes and learnings?
- Do team members feel comfortable providing constructive feedback to colleagues and leaders?
- Are team members encouraged to provide their input and ideas?
- Are team members criticised or punished when errors are made?
If the answer to any of these questions is ‘no’ then it’s likely that your workplace is not psychologically safe, but there are effective ways to bring about change as proposed below.
How to build psychological safety at work
As we’ve discussed, having strong leadership practices in place will enable psychological safety to thrive. Here are a few additional suggestions to help you develop psychological safety at work:
Lead by example
It’s vital that leaders model the behaviours that they want to see from others. Demonstrate strong leadership skills at all times, handling difficult situations in a constructive and nonjudgmental manner. Provide constructive feedback but ensure this is done in a respectful way aimed at developing learning rather than criticising the individual.
Share your mistakes and learnings
Many leaders are worried about being perceived as anything less than competent. Having the courage to share your mistakes and the lessons you have learned from the experience will have a powerful impact on the willingness of team members to do the same. This will normalise vulnerability, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Actively invite input
Dr Edmondson recommends taking active steps to invite input. Encourage team members to provide their ideas, input and feedback, by providing space and time for them to do so and by asking questions such as ‘what are your thoughts on this?’, ‘what other options could we consider?’ and ‘how would you approach this?’
Effective communication
Ensure that your communication style encourages open dialogue, for example by demonstrating active listening, asking questions and responding in a positive and respectful way. Avoid looking distracted, responding dismissively or interrupting team members while they speak.
Celebrate wins
Ensure team members feel valued by recognising their contributions, as well as the unique skillset they bring to the table. Notice and acknowledge what has gone well, sharing credit where it’s due.
Growth mindset
When mistakes are made (as will happen in all teams), avoid assigning blame or criticism. Instead, view these mistakes as an opportunity for learning. If a team member shares a mistake they have made, respond by saying ‘what can we learn from this?’ Build a ‘learnings exercise’ into all projects, where team members meet to discuss and review the lessons learned. This will encourage continuous learning, growth and innovation.
Invest in leadership capability
Without strong leadership skills, businesses will struggle to develop high levels of psychological safety. Leaders need a wide variety of skills such as the ability to provide constructive feedback, effective communication and active listening. Leaders also need to be able to motivate and engage their employees and make them feel valued. Furthermore, leaders must be aware of their own unconscious biases to prevent them having a negative impact in work.
What can we do to help?
At Fitzgerald, we have years of experience supporting businesses to develop their leadership capability. Please contact us if you would like advice on how to build psychological safety at work, please contact our team on 0330 223 5253 or office@fitzgeraldhr.co.uk. We would be delighted to help you.
Further reading
You may also find the following articles on our Knowledge Hub interesting to read:
For further reading on this topic, you may also find these resources helpful:
