Creating Psychological Safety

Introduction

We hear a lot about the power of collaboration and ensuring that everyone on a team is valued and appreciated. But what does that really look like? Unfortunately, the reality is that all too often we see companies that claim to support these values when really they only talk about them, but ultimately fail when it comes to proper execution. Companies and their leadership teams often think that they have created an environment of psychological safety for their employees but may not realize that they are missing the mark. Keeping in mind the core tenet of this newsletter, which is to assume positive intent, we are going to look at these cultural shortcomings as something to be understood and improved upon, an opportunity rather than a problem.

Where to Start ??

There is no magic formula for creating psychological safety in the workplace, and every situation is going to present unique challenges which need to be addressed. Many people would say that this safety must come from the top, and without the support of senior leadership, you cannot have a truly psychologically safe environment.

Although I do agree that your best chance of success would be having buy-in from the top down, we still owe it to ourselves to try to embrace this philosophy within our individual teams. If we do what is right, because it is right, and we can prove that it works through qualitative and quantitative metrics, then we have a foundation upon which we can build from the bottom up!

So, no matter what type of environment we may find ourselves in, there is always an opportunity to create psychological safety, no matter how small it may seem. Simply setting the tone at the beginning of a quick meeting and emphasizing that all ideas and contributions are encouraged and welcomed, can have a significant impact on how someone —especially a junior team member— feels about speaking up without fear of judgment or repercussions.

How to Start ??

The first step is always to look, listen, and question. If we already believe that we are working in a psychologically safe environment, that's great, but there are still check-ins we can do to ensure that we are who we think we are! You can start by simply observing how you and your coworkers communicate with each other. Small changes in how we communicate and respond to each other can have a significant impact on how we feel about and view ourselves and our colleagues. Some things to look out for:

• Do certain members of the team usually not speak up, especially in meetings? If so, we need to find a gentle way to dig deeper to find out why.
• Do other members of the team acknowledge and consider the contributions of their teammates? If not, we should examine how they are responding and make suggestions that help encourage collaboration.
• Do WE regularly contribute and feel that our opinions are welcomed and valued on the team? If we do not, then we need to do some self-reflection to understand why we feel that way, in addition to taking a closer look at the history of the team dynamics, which can also be a factor.
• Do WE acknowledge and consider the contributions of our teammates? Again, if we do not treat others in a manner that we would like to be treated, then this can quickly become an issue.?
• How are other groups in your organization doing in terms of creating psychologically safe environments where individual contributors feel valued and empowered? This will help determine if the issues on your team are unique to your department, or perhaps there are larger, corporate culture issues at play.

When to Start ????

The best time to start was in the past, the second-best time to start is TODAY! Again, there is no secret sauce per se, you have to jump in and start small, and then iterate from there.

We can't create a culture overnight; it takes time and patience. And it will take significantly more effort to change an existing culture that does not foster psychological safety, but it can be done!

One final point to remember: Use what you already have available to you. Let's say that you have determined that your team does not offer the same psychological safety as other groups within your company. In addition to changing your own personal behavior to help encourage a more team-centric environment, look at what's working in the other groups and try implementing strategies that seem to be working for them. Not only does this take much less elbow grease than creating something new and unproven, but it also goes a long way toward helping your team align with the operating "norms" of the rest of the company.

What's Next?

For the next two editions coming up in July, I am going to take you on a journey...my journey! I thought that it would be helpful (and fun) to share some of the more transformative experiences I've had during my career, and how those moments have helped develop my approach to project management, process improvement, and team leadership.

Author - Marc Jobin