Psychological Safety–Your Team’s (and Organization’s) Performance Depends On it

Psychological safety is when the culture in your organization focuses on providing “a safe environment” where leaders encourage, expect, support, and set leadership examples by:

·       Asking for help

·       Challenging the status quo

·       Inviting people to openly and respectfully disagree with each other

·       Engaging in collaborative discussions

*Psychological safety shapes the learning behavior of the group and in turn affects team performance and therefore organizational performance. 

The benefits to your company are huge*:

·       Team members feel more engaged and motivated, because they feel that their contributions matter and that they’re able to speak up without fear of retribution.

·       It leads to better decision-making, as people feel more comfortable voicing their opinions and concerns, which often leads to a more diverse range of perspectives being heard and considered.

·       It can foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement, as team members feel comfortable sharing their mistakes and learning from them.

Achieving psychological safety requires a clear message from leadership concerning expectations and a commitment from everyone on the team. As a starting place, you can develop, implement, and analyze an employee engagement survey to determine the perspective of your team and how empowered they feel in your workplace [link to last Levin blog].

Once you understand team members’ perspectives, you will set up a plan for the future incorporating good management practices, including:

·       Establish clear norms and expectations

·       Encourage open communication and active listening

·       Be sure team members feel supported

·       Show appreciation and humility

The chart (below) illustrates how to achieve the highest level of psychological safety:

Watch for more communications from us on how to incorporate psychological safety into your company culture.

We are prepared and equipped with the tools, experience, and knowledge to help guide you on your path to a healthy working environment.

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*Click here to learn more from the Harvard Business Review article What is Psychological Safety? by Amy Gallo