If you have never come across the term “Psychological Safety at Work” today is going to be an eye-opener. You will discover what psychological safety is and just how important this element is for high performing teams and business success. Finally, we explain how you can create psychological safety in your workplace.
What is psychological safety?
According to Wikipedia, “Psychological safety is being able to show and employ one's self without fear of negative consequences of self-image, status or career.” What this means in practice is that employees become open to speaking their mind, moderate risk taking and an increase in creativity (or problem solving) without fear of repercussions.
Barbara Fredrickson at the University of North Carolina has discovered that ‘positive emotions like trust, curiosity, confidence, and inspiration broaden the mind and help us build psychological, social, and physical resources.’ This makes employees feel equally part of a team whilst being respected and accepted.
Why is it important for high performance teams?
Paul Santagata, Head of Industry at Google, knows better than anyone that high performance teams have psychological safety in common.
A recent Gallup poll discovered that “just 3 in 10 U.S. workers strongly agree that at work, their opinions seem to count.” By moving that ratio to 6 in 10 employees, the study found that organisations could reduce turnover by 27%, safety incidents by 40% and a 12% increase in productivity.
When a workplace presents itself as challenging but not threatening, teams can sustain a broaden-and-build mode. Our brains release Oxytocin which builds trust and trust making behaviour. Santagata attests that Google’s success “hinges on the ability to take risks and be vulnerable in front of peers.”
How to create psychological safety
There are many different ways that you can develop psychological safety at the workplace. Here are some of the techniques used.
Don’t pretend to know all the answers
Developing a sense of curiosity and open mindedness has multiple benefits. It allows employees to tackle problems more creatively whilst developing communication and alignment with each other.
Ensure communication is strong
You want to be able to encourage open conversations rather than restricting with draconian measures. You do this by creating pathways to leadership, provide channels for feedback, and encourage conversation. By allowing conversations to flow up the chain of command, you give employees not only a voice but a way to discover problems and have solutions presented for all manner of things.
Measure Psychological Safety
You can measure psychological safety by asking staff how they feel and what can be done to improve in this area. You can also take tests to discover how people are feeling and who may have potential to lead teams to better overall psychological safety.
Don’t rely solely on written communication between staff
You want staff to talk openly between one another. Written communication can lead to problems of understanding tone and, in turn, issues of trust. By having open sessions, instilling curiosity and pushing employees to think more creatively you develop wider psychological safety.
Psychological safety has shown to be a necessity in building high performing teams. Creating an atmosphere that encourages curiosity and open mindedness without fear of negative consequences of self-image, status or career increases performance and a feeling of self-worth. Take the measures to develop better psychological safety at work if you want your team to perform at a higher standard over time.
