Common Barriers and Challenges to Achieving Psychological Safety

In this edition, we will delve into the barriers and challenges businesses face in terms of creating and sustaining a psychologically safe workplace.

The issues I am going to outline below transcend industries, sectors and locations and revolve around four primary aspects: Authentic Self, communication, safe spaces and team dynamics. I have also included more generic issues towards the end.

These insights come from years of working with organisations and are backed by solid research. You can find more information in my book: The Authentic Organization – How to Create a Psychologically Safe Workplace.

Authentic Self

1.????? The reluctance of individuals to bring their Authentic Self to work. Unfortunately, this self-censorship intensifies communication problems and disrupts team dynamics.

2.????? Employees often encounter difficulties when it comes to managing their emotions, which can be traced back to the lasting impact of negative past experiences.

3.????? Identifying triggers for negative emotions, thoughts or behaviours in the workplace often presents issues, resulting in delayed issue resolution.

4.????? As a result, employees carry these negative interactions home with them, impacting both their physical and mental health, as well as straining their relationships outside of work. Which impacts on their attendance record in the workplace…

5.????? Navigating workplace expectations.

6.????? Some individuals worry about how their colleagues perceive them, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy or impostor syndrome.

The challenge of employees not feeling safe to bring their Authentic Self to work is particularly pronounced in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa regions.

Communication

Effective communication poses a challenge in most organisations we work with. Here are the common challenges individuals face in the workplace.

1.????? Communicating your message so it is received in the way it was intended.

2.????? Receiving a message in the way it was intended by the sender.

3.????? The overall exchange of communication and navigating conversations effectively.

Organisations commonly encounter several areas of concern with communication.

• Effective handling of misunderstandings
• Miscommunications
• Disagreements
• Conflicts and microaggressions, with many individuals shying away from addressing these issues directly.
• The choice of language, where individuals may unintentionally exclude others, convey unintended messages, overcomplicate their message or fail to deliver it clearly and succinctly.
• Choosing an appropriate way to transmit a message.
• Emotional triggers can further complicate matters, leading to inappropriate responses and exacerbating conflicts.
• Some individuals find it challenging to express their emotions, needs and concerns when communicating with colleagues.
• Accurately understanding or decoding messages is another aspect that often goes awry, leading to misunderstandings and tensions in relationships.

Safe Spaces

Establishing safe spaces within organisations presents several challenges.

1.????? The primary concern is creating an environment where everyone feels safe. This incorporates the following areas, which most organisations overlook:

• Defining ground rules
• Implementing conflict resolution strategies
• Effectively communicating expectations, work and personal boundaries

2.????? Common challenges in creating safe spaces include:

• Encouraging participation
• Facilitating decision-making processes
• Addressing conflicts or issues that may arise
• Promoting collaboration, innovation and creativity
• Ensuring effective communication
• Extending the concept of safe spaces to accommodate remote or hybrid workers

Team Dynamics

Organisations often grapple with several key issues in this area. These include:

• Establishing clear personal and work boundaries
• Navigating the diversity of work and communication preferences among team members
• Recognising and effectively working with different personality types within the team
• Adapting to various work modes (including remote working, hybrid arrangements and in person collaboration)
• Ensuring the expectations within the team are well-defined and effectively managed

Failure to address these elements often leads to strained communication, misinterpretations and low morale in teams.

My Thoughts

So here is the thing.

In our global survey, we asked which one of these is your current priority:

1. To create an environment where teams thrive
2. Effective communication to create a psychologically safe workplace
3. Creating environments where everyone can bring their whole self to work and be authentic

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Here are the results.

1. To create an environment where teams thrive: 49%
2. Effective communication to create a psychologically safe workplace: 18%
3. Creating environments where everyone can bring their whole self to work and be authentic: 17%
4. Other: 16%, with only a few organisations offering examples, mostly unrelated to psychological safety.

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Let’s look at that.

49% of organisations responded with a desire to “create environments where teams thrive.”

Great, you will think… Nearly half of the organisations WANT to create the environment where people and teams can thrive. What is not good about that?!

Well. The data we have collected this far consistently underscores the crucial need to establish the foundations first, ensuring that everyone feels safe to bring their Authentic Self to work.

Bypassing this essential step (Level 1 in the Hierarchy of Psychological Safety) and directly attempting to create an environment where teams can thrive (Level 3 in the Hierarchy) is pointless and a waste of time and resources.

If someone doesn’t feel safe within your “safe” space, you have failed in creating an environment where they can thrive.

SO… you have to start with Level 1 of the Hierarchy of Psychological Safety – related to the Authentic Self.

This is where most organisations fall down.

Other Barriers and Challenges

• Starting from ground zero, where an organisation is grappling with negative leadership, challenging situations and a toxic culture
• Acknowledging there is an issue in the organisation
• Where to start, once the issue has been acknowledged
• Understanding where the issues lie in the organisation
• Accurately measuring psychological safety
• Overcoming obstacles during tough times, such as cost-cutting, job security
• Restoring psychological safety after setbacks
• Navigating challenges in virtual or hybrid teams
• Funding constraints

Addressing These Challenges

How do you move past these barriers and challenges?

1.????? Stay tuned to this Newsletter. I will be addressing ALL of these points in future editions.

2.????? Get everyone onboard in your organisation, particularly HR, EDI, wellbeing and senior leaders. Ask them to subscribe to this Newsletter. They will learn A LOT and give you the resource you need to begin your discussions.

3.????? If you can't wait for the guidance you need right now, contact me directly. Let’s schedule a time to chat to figure out the best way forward for you.

4. Consider rolling out Lux to specific teams/your entire organisation. This will accurately measure psychological safety in your organisation, pinpoint exactly where the root causes are AND give you practical, bespoke guidance (based on your results) on areas you can target straight away. Then you can target your interventions appropriately!

5. Implement the 5 Pillars of Psychological Safety - these address ALL of the barriers and challenges outlined above. You can find out more about our methodology here.

Psychological Safety Institute Updates

We are developing a few different ways you can engage with us. Please take a read to find out more!

Free Options

• This Psychological Safety 101 Newsletter!
• Psychological Safety Circle

A free private chat community for individuals interested in Psychological Safety. More on this coming soon!

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• Psychological Safety Institute Online Meet-Up

Our June Meet-Ups

• Wed 5 June at 10am BST
• Tues 18 June at 5pm BST

Free to attend - these are an opportunity to meet other people interested in Psychological Safety, to find out more about the Psychological Safety Institute, our methodology, the tools we use, our diagnostic tool, our training and to answer specific questions you have etc.

There is no agenda - we will discuss whatever you want to discuss in the session!

Click the links above to access the meeting links.

Low Cost Options

• Psychological Safety Forum

These are structured meetings dedicated to discussions, exchanges and activities related to psychological safety.

The Forum is a place where individuals can seek support and guidance related to psychological safety issues, and explore solutions. Participants may learn from each other's experiences, share best practices and explore strategies for promoting psychological safety in the workplace.

Fee of ￡20 per month to join the Psychological Safety Forum, with a 6 month minimum commitment.

DM me and I will add you to the waiting list.

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• The Authentic Organization: How to Create a Psychologically Safe Workplace.

Pre-orders now being taken:

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1394232276

www.amazon.com/dp/1394232276

If you would like to discuss bulk orders, for your team, entire organisation or a big event you are hosting, drop me a DM.

Entry Level Options

• Psychological Safety Workshops

Level 1: Learn the Basics of Psychological Safety

Our Level 1 program is designed to equip you with the fundamental principles of Psychological Safety in just three interactive, inspirational sessions, 2.5 hours each. Earn CPD accreditation along the way!

• Session 1: Orientation (1 hour)
• Session 2: Introduction to Psychological Safety.

Delve deep into the essence of Psychological Safety: core concepts, myths, factors that influence PS, signs of PS issues in organisations, repercussions of its absence.

• Session 3: Authentic Self and Identity. Personalities and Power.

Explore the intersection of authenticity, identity, personality and power dynamics within the context of Psychological Safety - and how this affects how you show up at work, interpersonal dynamics and overall PS in the workplace!

• Session 4: Psychological Safety in Organisations

Discover how Psychological Safety manifests within organisational structures, examine where priorities lie, understand the Hierarchy of Psychological Safety, dissect the interplay between inclusion, Maslow's hierarchy of needs and psychosocial hazards.

Gain insights into crafting a compelling business case, defining roles and responsibilities and learn how to initiate those crucial conversations to cultivate a culture of Psychological Safety.

We'll finish up with signposting, next steps etc.

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Investment for the Program: ￡1,500

Dates: July 2024, days and times to be confirmed

Attendance: 1 session per week

DM me and I will add you to the waiting list.

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• Measure Psychological Safety

If you want to measure psychological safety either in specific teams, or your entire organisation, Lux, our Psychological Safety Diagnostic Tool, is ready and waiting for you!

We collaborated with the University of Cambridge on this - so you can be sure it is validated, tested and interrogated thoroughly!

Once the survey results are in from the survey, we provide bespoke recommendations on what to do to improve psy safety!

Investment:

Individual teams: ￡2,500

Organisations with fewer than 1,000 employees: ￡5,000

Send me a DM or email to [email protected] if you want to set up a meeting to discuss a Lux roll-out.

Ready to ignite change?

Take action today to build psychological safety in your workplace.

Reach out to learn more: www.ThePSI.Global

For more valuable content, follow me:

@GinaBattye

CEO & Founder, Psychological Safety Institute