Key Success Factors for Psychological Safety

Ensuring your psychological safety initiatives succeed involves considering several crucial elements.

Drawing from our extensive work with organisations over the years, we've identified essential factors that drive progress in creating and sustaining psychologically safe environments.

In this edition, we delve into the key success factors that businesses implement to successfully establish and nurture psychologically safe workplaces.

Key Success Factors for Psychological Safety

• Secure buy-in across all levels of the organisation.
• Leaders must actively advocate for and model psychological safety, demonstrating its importance through their actions and interactions.
• View psychological safety as a continuous journey rather than a destination.
• Clearly communicate the organisation’s commitment to psychological safety and the benefits it brings. This helps employees understand the goals and their role in creating a safe environment.
• Be flexible and adaptable in implementing psychological safety measures. Every organisation requires a tailored approach. There is no one-size fits all model with creating and nurturing psychological safety.
• Being open to adjustments is key to success.
• Implement effective assessment and feedback mechanisms, such as annual surveys and anonymous reporting systems, to continuously monitor and improve psychological safety. Tools like Lux provide comprehensive assessment, data and tailored recommendations.
• Embed psychological safety into the long-term agenda of the organisation, rather than treating it as a one-off training event.
• Ensure psychological safety is a part of every conversation and meeting. Make it an integral aspect of your organisational culture.
• Provide continuous training and education on psychological safety concepts and practices to all employees. This ensures that employees at all levels understand the importance of psychological safety and how to cultivate it, for them and their colleagues.
• Actively listen to employee feedback and make necessary adjustments.
• Continuously seek ways to improve strategies based on evolving needs and challenges.
• Acknowledge and reward behaviours that promote psychological safety. This encourages further adoption and reinforces positive practices.

Additionally, businesses with flat or agile organisational structures or with the Teal style of working, tend to thrive rapidly when adopting the 5 Pillars of Psychological Safety methodology.

The Teal style of working is a holistic organisational approach characterised by self-management, an evolutionary purpose that adapts with the organisation’s growth and a focus on cultivating an environment where individuals can bring their authentic selves to work, thereby nurturing creativity and collaboration.

On the other hand, businesses with a hierarchical structure characterised by multiple layers may take longer to identify and address issues and to develop and implement interventions. However, when they wholeheartedly commit to this process, they experience significant positive impact on individuals, teams and the organisation as a whole.

Legislation plays a crucial role in the adoption of psychological safety within organisations.

“Several countries, including Australia, Sweden, Belgium and Denmark, have taken significant steps to address psychosocial hazards in the workplace, by adopting legislation.

While the adoption of legislation addressing psychosocial hazards is a good step forward for employees, providing additional protection in the workplace, it’s important to recognise that psychosocial hazards and psychological safety are separate concepts.

Psychological safety is closely tied to an individual’s subjective experience: including perception, emotions and behaviours.

Whereas, psychosocial hazards relate to the external conditions and stressors present in the workplace that may impact employees’ psychological well-being.

While addressing psychosocial hazards can help enhance psychological safety in the workplace, it is crucial to recognise that these are distinct concepts.

Organisations can take proactive steps to recognise and manage psychosocial risks in order to prevent or reduce their negative impact on the mental health and well-being of their employees.”

This introduction of Psychosocial Hazards legislation has ramped up the interest in psychological safety, driving organisations to seriously consider their workplace culture.

... And, I’m excited to tell you, you can read more about Psychosocial Hazards (and so much more) in my new book, ‘The Authentic Organization: How to Create a Psychologically Safe Workplace.’

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Lobbying for Workplace Legislation

At the Psychological Safety Institute, we actively lobby for the inclusion of psychological safety in workplace legislation. Through Lux, our diagnostic tool, we collate global data on psychological safety, enabling us to identify trends and advocate for change.

We are also working to integrate Lux into workplace certification standards and Trust marks, to enhance global workplace standards.

We aim to challenge and transform workplace attitudes and out-dated workplace cultures globally!

We all play a role in that.

So, with that in mind.

Reflect on what you can do today to create a psychologically safer interaction with your colleagues.

Every step counts in building a safer and more supportive work environment.

Breaking News!!

My new book is IN!

To say I’m excited is an understatement!

Publication is 20th June but pre-orders are live now.

It is currently ranking #1 in Amazon’s Hot New Releases Chart!

In ‘The Authentic Organization: How to Create a Psychologically Safe Workplace’ I navigate you through my distinctive approach, the world-renowned 5 Pillars of Psychological Safety framework, meticulously designed to cultivate an environment where your organisation and people thrive.

It’s a must-read blueprint for anyone aiming to create psychologically safe work environments.

Pre-order your copy here:

Amazon UK

Amazon.Com

The Psychological Safety Institute

Reach out to learn more: www.ThePSI.Global

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CEO & Founder, Psychological Safety Institute