Training for Psychological Safety: A Framework

Organisations that want to improve their level of psychological safety often ask about the type of training that is required to achieve this goal.

Of course, a lot depends on the level of investment that the organisation is prepared to make - not just in cost, but in time, depth of commitment, and organisational scope of attention.

But regardless of this, our recommendation for a framework is that training takes place at three conceptual levels, which we can refer to as Everyone, Leaders, and High Leverage. (And under the general heading of ‘Training’ we are also considering workshops, one-on-one meetings, counseling, and other remedial work.)

In any organisation, Everyone needs to know what psychological safety is, why it is important, and what the organisation is planning to do about it. But it’s great if we can first get a sense of the level of psychological safety in an organisation, and what might be contributing to the current status.

A targeted survey that specifically measures psychological safety (not ‘engagement’ or employee satisfaction, which are trailing indicators of psychological safety) is of great benefit here.?

The survey we use in most cases (Conductor PS25) provides us with insight not only into the level of psychological safety in teams but also the factors that are contributing to that result.?

For example, is it a feeling that work in the team is unpredictable, that team members are treated unfairly, or that people feel they lack a reasonable level of autonomy in their work?

Once we have this data, we undertake a campaign of awareness; letting people know how things are regarding psychological safety and what are the plans to address any issues that have been found.?

This can be done through a “town hall” meeting, through internal communications, such as newsletters and team briefings.

The level of detail to be shared with Everyone depends on the organisation and, in particular, what the plans are for improving psychological safety.

Leaders can make a big difference to the level of psychological safety in an organisation, so it’s necessary to help leaders of teams - all types of teams and at all levels in the organisation - to understand how the conditions for psychological safety are created.

Working with the data that shows the level of psychological safety for each team, and the factors that are contributing to that level, the leader can be given both general and specific training.

With help from psychological safety consultants, this training can be delivered via the normal training channels in the organisation, through special online, cohort-based training, and/or in group workshops with team leaders.

This training for Leaders could cover, for example, how to conduct meetings where team members feel comfortable speaking up with their own ideas, how to be aware of unconscious bias in their interactions with team members, and how to give - and receive - continual feedback, and more.

All this training is typically generalised - with much of the same content being provided to everyone.?

But what about High Leverage training?

Some teams might need their own specific training or remedial work.?

For example, if a team has suffered under a very low level of psychological safety for some time, they might need some extra help. This could include workshops with (or without) the leader and might include meetings or even counseling for the individual team members.

More specific High Leverage training for a leader might address a particular problem uncovered when psychological safety was measured for that team.

For example, if there is a deep feeling of unfairness or inequality in a team, this High Leverage training could help the leader overcome the issues that are causing this.

So there we have it! A framework for training to improve psychological safety.

It’s not complex but needs close attention to detail for it to be effective. And the framework helps to give it some structure for planning, execution and review, and refinement. But, of course, there is more to improving psychological safety than training, and we will look at what else is needed in future newsletters.

Please reply to this newsletter to give your feedback on the framework discussed here and how you think it might be applied in your organisation!

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