What role does psychological safety play in creating high-performing environments?
As we embark on Learning at Work Week 2024, a time dedicated to celebrating and emphasising the importance of continuous growth and development in the workplace, it's essential to reflect on the foundational elements that foster high-performing environments. One critical element, often overlooked, is psychological safety. Psychological safety is a belief that it is safe to take risks and speak up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes without fear of ridicule or retribution.
Creating a psychologically safe environment is therefore pivotal to learning in both the corporate world and the realm of elite sports. It is a cornerstone for long-term success, not just an afterthought or ‘tick box’ for leaders and teams to consider. With the Olympics on the horizon, the parallels between athletes' preparation and workplace learning are strikingly clear.
Welcome to the third blog in my high-performance series, which focuses on the critical role psychological safety plays in fostering sustainable success.
To learn more about this topic and accelerate your development this Learning at Work Week, register to join my fantastic colleagues; EY Lane4 Director, Dwight Lawrence and EY Lane4 Consultant and GB & England Women's Hockey Captain, Hollie Pearne-Webb as they delve into the essentials of creating high-performing environments with a focus on the crucial role of psychological safety. Register here.
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The foundation of high-performance: psychological safety
Psychological safety, a term coined by Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, refers to an individual's perception of the consequences of taking interpersonal risks in a work environment. It's the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. In a psychologically safe workplace, employees feel comfortable being themselves, which encourages innovation, creativity, and a willingness to admit and learn from failures.
The EY Humans@Centre research 2024 highlights almost every transformation (96%) has ‘turning points’ where the programme goes off course and how this is handled can make or break the process. This is a natural part of how organisations and leaders can navigate the future, and the research suggests a key takeaway is encouraging the team to solve the problems together, with fast feedback loops. Having a psychological safe environment during these critical moments allows for the kind of risk-taking that leads to breakthroughs.
In high-performing environments, psychological safety encourages the sharing of diverse perspectives and fosters an atmosphere where the best ideas can surface and be honed, regardless of their origin within the organisational hierarchy. This is crucial for continuous development, as it ensures that learning is not confined to a specific time or event but is woven into the fabric of everyday work life. The result is a more dynamic, and resilient organisation.
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Continuous Development: A Year-Round Endeavour
The EY Lane4 Learning Reimagined white paper demonstrated 80% of people indicate their strongest motivation to learn at work is to do their jobs faster or better. Learning at Work Week serves as a reminder of the importance of continuous personal and professional development. However, the cultivation of skills and knowledge should not be limited to a single week. Just as athletes preparing for the Olympics engage in daily training and continuous improvement over four years, professionals must also embrace a mindset of lifelong learning to remain at the top of their game.
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Continuous development is the process of consistently enhancing your capabilities and fostering a culture of curiosity and improvement. It involves setting personal goals, seeking feedback, embracing challenges, and reflecting on experiences. This approach not only prepares individuals for the evolving demands of their roles but also contributes to a culture of high-performance within an organisation.
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Drawing Parallels with Olympic Preparation
As we find ourselves just ten weeks away from the Olympics, it's important to recognise that the athletes we'll soon cheer on have not reached their peak overnight. Their journey to high-performance is the culmination of four years of relentless dedication, practice, and mental conditioning. They understand that psychological safety - being in an environment where they can push their limits without fear of undue criticism - is paramount to their ability to perform at their best.
Elite athletes must trust in their coaches, feel secure in their training environments, and believe in their ability to discuss their vulnerabilities to optimise their performance. They need to know that their support system will not crumble under the weight of a bad training day or a lost competition. This continuous cycle of trust-building and open communication is what enables athletes to push beyond their limits and achieve greatness. This mirrors the ideal workplace, where employees are encouraged to innovate and grow consistently, not just during special events or learning initiatives.
In the spirit of the Olympics, let's strive for a workplace where every day is an opportunity to learn, to improve, and to move closer to our own version of a gold medal performance.
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Register to join EY Lane4 Director, Dwight Lawrence and EY Lane4 Consultant and GB & England Women's Hockey Captain, Hollie Pearne-Webb as they delve into the essentials of creating high-performing environments with a focus on the crucial role of psychological safety. Register here.
Please check out the previous blogs in my high-performance series, where: