What happens when you must tell your boss your strategy didn’t work, or a new idea fell flat? Do you feel safe to report the truth and not hide what happened? If so, you are experiencing something called psychological safety. Amy Edmondson, a Harvard Business School professor, and author of The Fearless Organization, coined the phrase “psychological safety.” Basically, it is the feeling of being able to speak up, take risks, and make mistakes without fear of negative consequences from your boss or supervisor.
Psychological safety contributes to a healthier workplace. When people are comfortable voicing their opinions and concerns, this feeling of psychological safety is developed and leads to better decision-making. It also creates a more diverse range of perspectives to be considered.
Over the years, I have worked for several organizations. Some of those did not feel psychologically safe. People were afraid to speak out. No dissent was not allowed. The best strategy was to stay off the radar, keep your head down and maintain the status quo. The leaders were autocratic, top down and ran the workplace by fear. These leaders surrounded themselves with “yes” people who would not question or disagree with them, shutting down new ideas.
In safe organizations, my contributions mattered, and I could speak freely without fear of retribution. This created a positive work environment in which creativity and innovation flourished.
So, what does it take to build psychological safety in the workplace? Here are four main guidelines:
- Make it safe to speak up. Disagreement and different perspectives help an organization grow and innovate. Don’t quash the voices of the employees. Instead, seek them out and listen to their perspective.
- Encourage diverse ideas and let others know their views matter and will at least be heard. Being heard and validated are beneficial to any relationship including work relationships. When you feel heard, you tend to work harder in a company.
- If you are a leader, admit to mistakes and model this for others. Leaders who are transparent about their own failures give permission for others to fail and take risks.
- Know the difference between feeling uncomfortable versus unsafe. Honest feedback will make people feel uncomfortable. But corrective feedback is not the same as ruling by fear. In the long run, organizations improve when they can correct and give feedback, but do so in a way that encourages employees to continue to innovate.
Creating psychological safety involves the biblical truth of loving others and acknowledging their value and contribution to the mission and vision of any organization. Everyone needs accountability including leaders. Therefore, making it safe to be honest and forthright is better than hiding and later discovering the truth.
Finally, be grateful for diversity at your workplace. God gives people different gifts and the ability to discern different things for the overall good of the body. Use those gifts and work as a team, appreciating the contributions of all.
Psychological safety in the workplace
