What Is Psychological Safety?

Summary

This video focuses on the importance of team psychological safety, a key factor for enhancing team performance. It defines psychological safety as the belief that it’s safe to take risks, voice ideas, and admit mistakes without fear of negative consequences. Teams with higher psychological safety are more engaged, motivated, and innovative, leading to better outcomes. The video outlines practical strategies for managers to foster psychological safety, including establishing clear norms, valuing employee input, leading by example, and responding constructively to feedback. Ultimately, creating a safe environment drives continuous learning and organizational success.

Takeaways

• 😀 Psychological safety means feeling safe to take risks, express ideas, ask questions, and admit mistakes without fear of negative consequences.
• 😀 Teams with high psychological safety perform better, with increased engagement, creativity, and innovation.
• 😀 A lack of psychological safety can lead to stress, burnout, and turnover, negatively impacting team performance.
• 😀 Managers should foster psychological safety by establishing clear norms and expectations, ensuring fairness and support.
• 😀 Clear communication about why employee voices matter is key to building a psychologically safe environment.
• 😀 Admitting your own mistakes as a leader and showing vulnerability encourages team members to do the same.
• 😀 Actively inviting input through open-ended questions helps encourage feedback and ensures everyone's voice is heard.
• 😀 Responding positively to feedback, even tough or ‘kooky’ ideas, helps create a safe space for continued input and risk-taking.
• 😀 A seven-question survey can help assess team psychological safety, focusing on issues like mistakes, risks, and speaking up.
• 😀 Teams with higher psychological safety have more diverse perspectives, better decision-making, and a culture of continuous improvement.
• 😀 Managers should model behaviors that promote psychological safety, including respect, humility, and openness to feedback.

Q & A

What is team psychological safety?

Team psychological safety is the shared belief that it’s safe to take risks, express ideas, ask questions, and admit mistakes without fear of negative consequences. It encourages openness, learning, and accountability within teams.

Why is psychological safety important for teams?

Psychological safety is crucial because teams with it tend to perform better. It fosters engagement, motivation, diverse perspectives, and innovation. Teams are also more likely to continuously improve and learn from mistakes, which leads to better outcomes and resilience.

What is the difference between psychological safety and simply being polite?

Psychological safety is not about being polite or making people feel comfortable. It’s about creating an environment where individuals can admit mistakes and take risks without fear of blame or retribution, even though doing so might feel uncomfortable.

How can a manager assess whether their team has psychological safety?

A manager can assess psychological safety using a seven-item questionnaire. This includes questions like whether team members feel comfortable making mistakes, sharing concerns, asking for help, and offering input without fear of negative consequences.

What are the consequences of not having psychological safety on a team?

Without psychological safety, teams can experience poor well-being, stress, burnout, and high turnover. These issues hinder team performance, creativity, and overall productivity.

What are some strategies for fostering psychological safety in a team?

To foster psychological safety, managers should establish clear norms, communicate the value of employee input, lead by example by admitting mistakes, actively invite feedback, and respond productively to the feedback received.

What role does vulnerability play in building psychological safety?

Vulnerability is essential in building psychological safety. When leaders admit their own mistakes and show how they’ve learned from them, it sets a powerful example for the team, demonstrating that it’s okay to be imperfect and take risks.

What specific actions can a manager take to invite input from their team?

Managers can actively invite input by asking open-ended questions such as 'What are you seeing?' or 'What are your thoughts on this?' They should encourage team members to share ideas and feedback freely.

How should a manager respond to team feedback to ensure psychological safety?

Managers should respond to feedback with curiosity and appreciation, even if the input is tough to hear. It’s important not to shut down or criticize ideas, as that can discourage future feedback. A positive, open response reinforces a safe environment.

How does psychological safety contribute to a culture of innovation?

Psychological safety promotes innovation by allowing team members to share new ideas, take creative risks, and challenge the status quo without fear of failure or judgment. It encourages experimentation, which is key to discovering new solutions and improvements.