PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY

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Employees will sometimes remain silent when they might want to speak up with ideas or suggest the need to take a different approach on projects where problems are arising.  Employees will play safe when they feel it's not safe to engage.  The benefit of saying nothing outweighs the benefit of speaking up because they fear their views or ideas will be rejected to their detriment.  Their contribution might be dismissed, or they might be quizzed and seen in a poor light by their manager.  Or, in respect of suggesting innovative ideas, they might be asked to undertake exploratory work without any real prospect of support. 

 

‘Psychological safety’ defines a workplace climate in which people are comfortable expressing (and being) themselves.  It determines the scope for quality improvements, learning, innovation, and productivity.  A culture of psychological safety enables employees to be engaged.  They can take risks and experiment. They can express themselves without the fear of failure or retribution. 

 

It is easy to assume, as a senior manager, that your company already has an open, engaged culture.  You have seen it amongst your peer group.  However, this can be misleading.  While some employees (senior managers) are contributing freely, other employees are sometimes inhibited by their more junior positions and where their senior managers exhibit a dominating approach when handling their staff, inhibiting full engagement.

 

Building the Culture of Psychological Safety

 

For real culture change to transpire, it should start with the executive team.  Leaders should answer three questions from an organisational perspective. 

 

• What is our company’s purpose?

• What is the reputation we aspire to have?

• What do we need to do differently to achieve that reputation and fulfil our purpose?

 

Leaders should pose and talk through the questions, offer their answers with the rest of the company and, in doing so, encourage people to engage.  The communications begins the process of alignment with the idea that views should be shared openly and will be welcomed. 

 

Equally importantly, the exercise provides the opportunity to agree ‘operating principles’ that includes a statement that reassures and encourages staff to engage in an open, constructive and productive work environment.  Confirming that their views should be shared openly and will be welcomed.  Indeed, the culture of the company welcomes their views and frowns upon anyone who constrains these contributions to the detriment of the company.  The operating principles reinforce a shared direction, approach, unity and identity, ultimately building a sense of safety to act in a way that benefits the company.

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