Psychological Safety in the Workplace - Part 1
Defining Psychological Safety
As with all terms that make their way through and into our work life, the term psychological safety is one that couldn’t be more important to today’s workers. So let’s unpack it shall we (yes, I said it…I am a therapist afterall)?
In a 1999 journal article exploring its relationship to team learning and performance, Harvard's Amy Edmondson coined the term “psychological safety”. According to Edmonson, psychological safety means an absence of interpersonal fear. When it is present people feel empowered to speak up about work-relevant issues.
Adding to this definition, Shane Snow, author of Dream Teams, defines psychological safety as the knowing that, as long as you are well intentioned, the things you say and do won’t be used against you at work. Assuming good intent is foundational in fostering a psychologically safe work environment.
What Psychological Safety Is Not
Becoming aware of what is safe and unsafe, while also being open to making necessary changes, is an important first step to assessing yourself and your organization. So let’s look at the characteristics of a psychological unsafe environment first.
It goes without saying that any overt forms of harassment in the workplace are unsafe and in many cases can result in legal problems. Let’s assume most organizations understand these, follow the laws, and have at least the basic policies in place to protect employees from sexual harassment, workplace violence, and unfair labor practices.
However, psychological safety goes deeper than an organization being compliant or even ethical. Personal psychological safety can be threatened in ways that may not be as easy to spot. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but here are a few commonly misunderstood or missed threats to psychological safety:
Unconscious biases
Microaggressions
Gaslighting
Withholding or purposeful lack of communication and feedback
Manipulation
Disrespect of personal or professional boundaries, and
Lack of accountability with regard to the above.
What this list creates is an environment where your employees feel they cannot accomplish their jobs without feeling afraid, disrespected, or even manipulated by those in power, the majority race, majority gender, or the overall organizational culture.
Getting Curious
Something I have always said to my clients when they bump against new insights about problematic behaviors or self-limiting narratives is, “How can you get curious about this without being mean to yourself for not knowing what you simply didn’t know?”
What you’ll note here is that this question highlights two key tasks to consider when “getting curious” about ourselves - 1) honest assessment and 2) non-judgement.
Honest Assessment
There are many ways to assess your organization in terms of psychological safety but the two highlighted here have been developed from a solid foundation of research. The first, The Fearless Organization Scan, was developed in partnership with professor Amy C. Edmondson of Harvard Business School (yes the one accredited with coining the phase) and uses these four dimensions to measure psychological safety:
What is the degree to which it is permissible to make mistakes?
To what degree can difficult and sensitive topics be discussed openly?
How much are people willing to help each other?
To what degree can you be yourself and are welcomed for this?
The second, The Daring Leadership Assessment, is from Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead program and it evaluates strengths and opportunities for growth in each of these four courage-building skill sets:
Rumbling with Vulnerability
Living into your Values
Braving Trust
Learning to Rise
Assessing ourselves can bring to the surface many vulnerable feelings and with it our defense mechanisms. In fact, many of the reasons we feel psychologically unsafe connect up to our own personal histories, traumatic experiences, relational challenges, and critical skills that may not have been taught or modeled. This is why the practice of non-judgement is also critical during the assessment period.
Non-Judgement
The practice of non-judgement means we are willing to notice when we are armoring up or feeling sure a person or situation is harmful to us. Every human does this. It is simply the way we learn to be in this world. When we can accept that it is natural to deflect, avoid discomfort, seek certainty, and surround ourselves with people who bolster our own narratives, we can sometimes begin opening to curiosity.
Non-judgement is also important because assessment can identify ways in which we may have been hurting someone without knowing it (unconscious bias for example). If we fall into guilt and shame circles it can shut down the potential for growth and change. We can feel so bad for falling short, allowing certain behaviors, or remaining neutral on important topics that we wish to retreat back to the status quo. Non-judgement means being kind to yourself and others as you explore how everyone can do better.
What Psychological Safety Does
Enhances Employee Engagement: When team members feel safe at work, it’s easier for them to engage with peers, on a team, while solving problems and with customers. It is easier to communicate and fosters an environment where people feel heard, seen, and valued.
Improves Employee Well-being: Mental health ranks high on employee lists of must-haves and psychological safety is a major contributing factor to overall well-being.
Fosters an Inclusive Workplace Culture: It’s more important than ever to make all team members feel included. Psychologically safe workspaces welcome diverse teams and all team members to thrive regardless of color, gender, sexuality, race, or political preferences.
Encourages Creativity and Innovation: Team members must feel safe expressing themselves for creative and innovative ideas to be shared.
Creates Organization Champions: Creating a psychologically safe workplace is one of the best ways to inspire employees to share about your organization. [Just hop over to Glassdoor and you’ll see what I’m talking about!]
Reduces Employee Turnover: A recent study reported that female executives who felt psychologically safe at work were less likely to leave. With the current talent acquisition challenges and the costs associated with hiring and training new people, it makes good sense to create an environment people don’t want to leave.
A Deeper Look
Knowing what psychological safety is and understanding the benefits of fostering more of it in your organization are important first steps to being the type of organization and leaders people want to work with and represent.
In Part 2, we will look at specific skills and behaviors leaders can begin adopting to create a more inclusive, safe, and ultimately healthier workforce. Remember, the most important aspect of psychological safety is actions that align with words and promises.
Until next time, here are some resources to dive deeper:
The Four Stages of Psychological Safety by Dr. Timothy Clark
Leadership is Language by L. David Marquet