How do we create psychologically safe teams?
By prioritising our own emotional regulation, providing ample feedback and large doses of clarity.
YOU wiLl LEARN
In this module, you’ll learn three practical ways to influence the psychological safety in your team.
Defining psychological safety
What influences the health of a team
Three ways you can contribute to a psychologically safe team
KEY CONCEPTS IN THIS MODULE
What is psychological safety?
Psychological safety is defined as the absence of interpersonal fear at work.
When people feel safe to contribute in a group, they experience a phenomenon known as psychological safety.
In one study of 180 high & low performing teams, it was discovered psychological safety was the #1 factor influencing productivity and in the medical field it was discovered to be the groundbreaking phenomenon which led to more reporting of high stakes errors.
What does this look like at work?
When people experience an absence of interpersonal fear in a group, they are in a high psychologically safe group, meaning they can be more productive and effective.
Low psychological safety in groups leads to groupthink, less reporting of high stakes errors, less collaboration, less innovation and overall lower performance.
Those in low psychological groups act in ways that are self preserving.
Those in high psychological safety are able to self express freely.
Whose ‘job’ is psychological safety?
The misconception of psychological safety is that it’s one single person's responsibility to manage e.g. the person with the most power, like the boss. And no doubt about it, the boss sets the tone.
The reality is that psychological safety is something everyone contributes to, and it’s something you have to continue to work on, every single day.
6 evidence-based tools to increase psychological safety.
Everyone can positively contribute to increasing psychological safety. For example:
1. Belonging cues.
Creating belonging cues by diffusing bad apple behaviour. For example, studies show people who can diffuse a 'bad apple' have a 40% increase in performance in groups.
2. Building positive relationships.
Studies show individual support independent of a group setting build team safety by 12%.
Cultivating positive relationships with your direct team creates individual safety by building interpersonal trust.
3. Giving positive constructive feedback.
It’s no secret that many leaders avoid giving feedback so they don’t hurt someone's feelings. The flow on effect is an erosion, over time, of trust in relationships.
The alternative is to build someone’s confidence by giving them affirmative, positive, sincere feedback and then building on it.
4. Giving explicit communication.
Being 3x as explicit in communication in hybrid teams minimises the natural miscommunication leading people to feel not included and thereby unsafe.
5. Keeping yourself safe.
If you don't feel safe you can actively remove yourself from a situation and regulate your emotions without impacting your work safety. Build your safety by working on your ‘highs and lows’. (Read a quick guide to keeping yourself safe).
6. Growing 'in public' .
Showing you are actively working on growing to show humility and willingness to improve (vs being 'perfect') sets the tone and example that you are walking the talk and gives employees greater confidence they can give you feedback.
TAKE A MOMENT TO REFLECT BEFORE DISCOVERING
Something I'd love to invite you to ponder as we go through this is how often you receive feedback and input from your team memberss that drives your, or the team’s, performance forward.
There are questions you might like to ask yourself:
Do team members come to me with a problem or do they tend to withhold challenges?
When things go wrong, do team members take responsibility or tend to blame others first?
Am I comfortable giving my team members directional and appreciative feedback?
Asking these questions is a great way to start thinking of where you can provide even more psychological safety in your team.
Let’s get started.
Module - Creating psychological safety (61 mins)
DOWNLOAD accompanying MATERIAL
AFTER WATCHING
It’s time to think about your game plan and put your learning into practice.
Here are thought starters to get you going:
Ask for one piece of feedback on your leadership in an open setting.
Create a ‘pitch’ session for team members to share ideas.
Tell your team members they are on the right track.
Ask what your team need more of, or less of, from you to succeed.
Looking for more?
READ: What Google Discovered from it’s Quest to Build the Perfect Team - NY Times
READ: High-Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety - Harvard Business Review
READ: Project Aristotle: What Makes a Team Effective? - Google
READ: Why Rejection Hurts so Much - TED
WATCH: Practicing Emotional First Aid - TED