Psychological Safety at Work It's Not About Being Nice

As a follow-up to the previous article on "High-Performance Cultures Don’t Just Happen", I want to clarify that psychological safety is not about being nice or fostering a lack of accountability or that it requires complete consensus in decision-making. There's a common misconception that psychological safety is about being kind or nice. However, research such as Google's Project Aristotle and the research of Amy Edmondson, reveals that in a world characterized by uncertainty and interdependence, psychological safety is not just essential for survival but also essential for fostering innovation required to lead in both the market and leadership.

Psychological safety means feeling comfortable to take risks, speak up, and share concerns without worrying about getting in trouble or having to sugarcoat the truth. It's a place where you can freely offer creative ideas without fearing judgment or hurting someone's feelings, it's okay to admit when you're wrong, be open about your vulnerabilities, and tell the truth even to those in charge.

Psychological safety empowers individuals to:

• brainstorm out loud
• feel included
• foster an environment where learning, contributions, and collaboration thrive
• challenge the status quo and improve
• feedback each other
• work through their disagreements or conflicts

The Project Aristotle research emphasized the significant role of psychological safety and how it can be nurtured through purposeful actions and effective leadership, by giving precedence to inclusion, learning, contribution, and constructive conflict.

It's essential to clarify that psychological safety doesn't equal being nice, lowering performance standards, or avoiding accountability, in fact, psychologically safe teams often set and uphold high-performance standards while maintaining accountability. This combination of psychological safety, performance expectations, and accountability is what fuels the success of high-performing teams.

#leadership #psychologicalsafety #teamperformance #teambuilding

How do you plan to achieve psychologically safe environments at work?

?? Kati H.