Imagine you wake up one morning excited to get to work. You get up, proceed with your morning routine, say goodbye to the family, your mate, or your cat. Along the way you find yourself in traffic or an overcrowded train or taxi but instead of getting upset, you start thinking about how you are going to tackle that sourcing issue that came up recently. You cannot wait to see the team, find out how they are doing and start to tackle the issue. You grab a coffee in the cafeteria, catch up with your peer about what they’re watching on Netflix or how Hamilton is pushing on track. You greet everyone on the way to your desk, browse through your emails and respond to priority mails only. Check your daily schedule. Then walk over to the team. You do a quick temperature check, then start going over this week’s priorities. They are as excited as you for the week ahead.
Things have gone sour with one of your primary clients, but your enthusiastic team are ready to figure out what they can do, who they can talk to, how they can reset and take on the challenge. The team are joking with each other as they come up with solutions but there are moments of equal seriousness and concern when a particular team member shares a problem they may be having on the job. As a leader, you feel proud to be coaching this set of high-performance professionals. Members are diverse in thought, culture, and discipline. You’ve done the work as a team. Stormed. Attended teambuilding sessions and taken the time to get to know each other on both a personal and professional level.
The client issue needs sense checking, so you approach your senior and give them a heads up. You spend five minutes talking over what has happened and your line responds with a few suggestions and affirmation. They trust you and you feel empowered to make an informed decision. Something feels good about this situation and team. But what is this thing you are feeling? It’s psychological safety.
Defined by Gartner* as “an environment that encourages, recognizes and rewards individuals for their contributions and ideas by making individuals feel safe when taking interpersonal risks. A lack of psychological safety at work can inhibit team learning and lead to in-groups, groupthink, and blind spots”
If you are to build a high performing, productive and sustainable team or organization, psychological safety is a necessary and fundamental aspect to do so. Lack of trust between employees and leaders can lead to a break in the relationship and a decrease in your team’s ability to verbalize ideas, challenge the status quo thus reducing value creation and productivity. Hurting the company’s bottom line. We flourish in trusting and safe spaces.
Here are a few basics principles to keep in mind:
- Create a supportive environment: Leaders need to foster an atmosphere of inclusivity, respect and support in the workplace. Encourage employees to speak up and share their ideas, questions, and concerns without retaliation or being shamed. Be clear that open communication is valued and essential to the success of the team. In addition, employees should feel safe to show up as their most authentic self without being objectified or embarrassed.
- Building trust: Is a fundamental characteristic of psychological safety. Leaders should create an environment where employees feel that they can trust each other and the organization.
- Provide constructive feedback: When employees know that their contributions are valued and appreciated, they are more likely to feel safe to take risks and try new things.
- Foster a culture of learning and professional growth: Provide training, support, and opportunities for employees to develop new skills. Employees will start to understand the impact of the value they bring and become invested in the success of the organisation.
- Recognize and celebrate success: This an essential aspect to building a positive and supportive work environment where employees are recognised and rewarded for their expertise, hard work and the role they play in contributing to the overall success of the company.
By focusing on these principles, leaders can cultivate psychological safety in the workplace, leading to increased productivity, ingenuity and employee job satisfaction.
*“Definition of Psychological Safety – Gartner Human Resources Glossary.” Gartner, www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/glossary/psychological-safety. Accessed 17 Oct. 2022.
