Maximising Your Organisation’s Potential: 5 Ways to Harness the Power of Psychological Safety

We hear a lot about psychological safety as a key component of a culture that nurtures innovation, engagement, and overall employee well-being. But what effect does this have on results? Here we’ll  explore why it matters, and the paradoxical power it holds. We'll also examine the critical role of leaders in fostering this essential element and pose key questions for those who aspire to champion it within their organisations.

What is Psychological Safety?

Psychological safety is a term coined by Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, defined as "a shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking." In other words, it is a workplace environment where employees feel comfortable expressing their ideas, asking questions, admitting mistakes, and taking risks without fearing punishment or ridicule.

Why does it matter?

Research consistently demonstrates the profound impact of psychological safety on innovation and productivity within organisations. Google's famous "Project Aristotle" found that psychological safety was the most crucial factor in high-performing teams. Furthermore, a study published in the Harvard Business Review indicated that psychologically safe teams outperformed their counterparts by a significant margin.

What about the paradox of psychological safety?

The paradox of psychological safety is that it simultaneously fosters risk-taking and, paradoxically, minimises risks. When employees feel psychologically safe, they are more likely to voice concerns and offer innovative solutions. They become willing to push boundaries and take calculated risks that ultimately lead to breakthroughs and advancements within the organisation. On the other hand, teams that lack psychological safety tend to stagnate as employees become risk-averse, fearing the repercussions of mistakes.

How can leaders support psychological safety?

Psychological safety is built team by team, and leaders play a pivotal role in shaping the culture of their organisation and teams. They set the tone through their actions, policies, and communication. If you’re a leader, interested in championing psychological safety, here are five key factors that build psychological safety, and some questions to ask yourself:

1.     Leading by Example: How openly do I admit my own mistakes and encourage open dialogue with my peers and / or my team? This can set a powerful precedent for psychological safety.

2.     Promoting Inclusivity: How readily do I ensure that diverse voices are heard and valued?  How do I respond to colleagues whose view is noticeably different to mine. Inclusivity, including encouraging cognitive diversity (the very different ways people think) is crucial to psychological safety.

3.     Encouraging feedback: What methods do I use to seek feedback on my leadership style and its impact? How frequently do I do this? What changes have I implemented based in this input? How do I support my team to do the same? Showing openness and a willingness to change builds psychological safety.

4.     Learning with your team: How much do my team know about psychological safety? How can we learn about and build this together?

5.     Face the tough issues: How much can I support my team to talk to each other, rather than about each other? What needs to change so we feel safer with each other, so we can be more honest?  These changes take time.

6.     Measuring:  How do we measure psychological safety in our team /organisation? What are we doing well? Where can we improve? What’s getting in the way? How can we work together to build this further? Regularly assessing the state of psychological safety within the organisation is more likely to result in specific action and improved results.

Psychological safety is not just a ‘buzzword’, it’s a critical element of an organisation's success.  Leaders at all levels, as the architects of their organisation's culture, support the growth of psychological safety. Those willing to ask themselves the tougher questions about how they can further lead by example, embrace diversity, encourage feedback, invest in training, and regularly assess progress can unlock their team and organisation's full potential, continuing on a journey towards trust, growth, and achievement.

If you’re interested in how to increase psychological safety in your team/s please drop me a message and we can organise a free call.  More information about team coaching can be found here.

Kate Jennings

References and Studies

Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350-383.

Google. (2016). Google's Project Aristotle.

Carmeli, A., & Gittell, J. H. (2009). High-Quality Relationships, Psychological Safety, and Learning from Failures in Work Organizations. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30(6), 709-729.

Laura Delizonna, (2017), High-Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety: Here’s How to Create It. Harvard Business Review.