Psychological Safety in Practice

Is it on the agenda?

Let us start with the facts.

The term “psychological safety” is thought to have first been used in 1954 by? Carl Rogers, a clinical psychologist.? He wrote of establishing conditions where an individual feels that they possess “unconditional worth. “

Fast-forward 35 years, and William Kahn renewed interest in psychological Safety?when he described it as “the?sense of being able to show and employ one’s self without fear of negative consequences to self-image, status, or career.”

In my experience, organisations that actively work towards a Psychologically Safe workplace, reap the benefits not just for the business, but for their employees too.

A staggering 89% of employees who responded to a McKinsey survey said that psychological Safety in the workplace was essential.

In my view, this makes it a high priority, and there are so many benefits to fostering a psychologically safe workplace it is worth the effort needed to achieve this :

For the Team:

• Fewer mistakes mademistakes have less impact, the ability to learn from mistakes Empowers team to experiment and risk “intelligent failures”

• Free idea sharingFreedom to explore possibilities, increased sharing of learning
• Increased understanding and commitment to inclusion and diversity
• Reduction in burnout

For the Business

• Less non-compliance issues
• Lower employee turnover and Increased productivity
• Ability to attract the right people
• An Improved reputation for the business

Sadly, despite so much research suggesting the benefits to teams and individuals, psychological safety is still not on the agenda for many businesses, and for some, that is simply because they do not know where to start.

So, how can you build a better environment for your whole team?

Firstly, you need to recognise the signs of an organisation which lacks psychological safety.

Think about your own experiences. What were the best and worst teams you have worked for? Explain why you felt that way.

Some of the warning signs of a Physiologically unsafe team are:

Mistakes

-??????? Team Members do not own their mistakes. Accountability is non-existent, and there is a culture of blame.

Challenges

-??????? The Team does not share their views or challenge decisions. They do not feel safe to do so, and they fear what would happen if they do speak out or speak up.

Information Sharing

-??????? In a psychologically unsafe environment, the team has limited access to information, resulting in miscommunication and a lack of direction. Worse still, it fosters an environment where rumours can grow.

Low Morale

-??????? Perhaps one of the most damaging results is low morale. If the team are not inspired and do not feel safe, they are not likely to perform well.? This leads to reduced productivity, which could damage your organisation.

Creating a workplace that promotes Psychological Safety

Before we start, this requires a degree of commitment and skill. Why?

If you are working in an environment that is the opposite of psychologically safe, it is going to take some time for people to trust the system, and so it is vital that this forms part of the learning and development journey.

To start, you need to share your objective.

This is a whole team responsibility. It will take everyone's efforts to make it work. ?

Help your team to appreciate and celebrate their differences, communicate effectively, and work to achieve their shared goals.

Build trust and take time to grow positive relationships, creating a safe work environment.

A great source of inspiration is Timothy R. Clark's Four Stages of Psychological Safety, which details how teams can progress through each of the four stages.

?1 Inclusion Safety – This is about building the foundation. A place where members are included and feel like they are a part of the team. Let's face it: we all want to feel like a part of the team.

2. Learner Safety - This stage is where the team is encouraged to ask each other questions, give each other feedback, admit mistakes if they are made, and, more importantly, ask for help.

3. Contributor Safety - I love this stage as this is where you really start to see the amazing effects of building a Psychologically Safe Team. Team members feel safe offering ideas and solutions without any fears. However, this can increase their psychosocial vulnerability.

4. Challenger Safety - Finally, the step that sees your team become so confident that they are challenging their colleagues in a safe and productive way. Feeling free to contribute by suggesting new ideas or ways of working is probably the most powerful stage of the journey.

There are many other useful models to refer to. Tuckman's model of Team development, with its From, Storm, norm, and perform ideas, is another worth considering.

?

I regularly share more Hacks on key management topics here on #LinkedIn, follow me to get posts straight to your inbox, each week. Or drop me a DM if you have any questions about our programmes or services. ?

If you are ready to chat or have a question to ask about a management situation or need some advice, book a virtual cuppa with me at https://calendly.com/tracy-anne/chat-with-the-managers-training-co

Tracy-Anne is the founder of The Managers Training Company Ltd – a leading, high-quality, management training provider for educational establishments whose mission is to equip your leaders and managers with the strategies, tools, and skills that enable them to create a positive and productive team culture that puts rewarding pupil experiences at its heart. To find out more: www.themanagerstrainingcompany.co.uk

?

?

?