The key to a thriving workplace

Psychological Safety

Publication
August 22, 2023

Think back to a moment when you were in a room with a group of people. You felt comfortable sharing your ideas and asking questions and you felt supported, even after admitting your mistakes. A room where you could be yourself, without fear of being judged. At that moment, you were experiencing psychological safety – a concept which has gained significant momentum and focus over the past few years and is considered essential for a thriving workplace.

Team psychological safety is defined as a shared belief held by members of a team that it’s ok to take risks, express their ideas and concerns, speak up with questions and admit mistakes – all without fear of negative consequences.

The term ‘team’ in team psychological safety is important as it’s known to be a group-level phenomenon, which ultimately shapes the learning behaviour of the group and in turn affects team performance and consequently, organisational performance.

A long-term study conducted by Google on their teams, titled ‘Project Aristotle’, particularly highlighted that psychological safety was the number one characteristic of a high-performing team. Since then, more organisations have turned their focus towards understanding the benefits of promoting psychological safety within their teams. One of the first forms of collaboration to emerge from psychologically safe teams is increased creativity and innovation. When individuals feel safe to take risks, they are more likely to come up with new ideas and solutions.

Psychologically safe teams also tend to foster more open communication, as with safety comes the ability to admit mistakes, express uncertainty, and be open to feedback – all characteristics which can be vital to the outcome of the team’s work. Moreover, psychological safety promotes the overall well-being of employees, resulting in less employee absenteeism and a workforce with higher morale and productivity. Finally, psychological safety can help to improve employee engagement and retention – which in today’s world are a top priority for most organisations.

A lot of what goes into creating a psychologically safe environment are good management practices. Specific action steps which can be taken to cultivate a culture of psychological safety include:

Establishing clear norms and expectations

Doing this from the start, so that there is a sense of predictability and fairness.

Being present and engaged

This includes active listening, eye contact, avoidance of technology during conversations and asking follow-up questions when necessary.

Showing signs of understanding

Paraphrase when needed, ask for clarification and use body language such as nodding or leaning forward.

Championing open conversation

Openly challenge yourself, ask for help, admit what you don’t know and point out past mistakes of your own.

Actively inviting input

As well as promoting inclusive decision-making - Ask questions such as ‘What are your thoughts on this?’ or ‘How shall we proceed?’.

Being supportive and avoiding blame

When faced with a mistake done by a team member, support them by adopting a future-thinking mindset, such as asking ‘What did you learn for next time?’.

Giving targeted praise and recognition

Do not only praise a team member but also explain why their contribution is particularly valuable.

Psychological safety is a simple, yet powerful and integral part of taking care of employees and organisations. By making psychological safety a priority, leaders set up their teams and organisations for success now and long into the future.