Since COVID-19, psychological safety in the workplace has garnered significant attention within organizations. It has highlighted areas where employers have fallen short in fostering environments conducive to collaboration, positive change, and employee participation. Terms like 'psychological safety' have become trendy rather than actionable steps to boost engagement, foster innovation, and reduce turnover.
But what is psychological safety and how can leaders ensure that it is present within the organization?
In an article published in Personnel Psychology, Frazier, et al. (2017) outline some key distinctions in their article “Psychological Safety: A meta—analytic review and extension”. They boil down the definition to: “The belief that the workplace is safe for interpersonal risk taking.” When employees feel safe to express themselves without fear of getting in trouble, losing their job, or being ridiculed, they are far more likely to take interpersonal risks and positively contribute to the organization’s growth. When they know that they are contributing and connected to the values and mission of the organization, they show up! The article points to four standards that contribute to building a psychologically safe organization: Interpersonal relationships, group dynamics, leadership, and organizational norms. (2017) Let’s look at how each of these play a role in building psychological safety.
#1: Interpersonal relationships exist within every organization, whether they are positive or negative, and often, work relationships are not always the most positive experience for employees. Furthermore, leaders are not always focused on the quality of those relationships within their teams. If you are a leader, you have most likely had to deal with the impacts of negative interpersonal relationships, but you may not have had the tools or confidence to know how to make positive change in this area. Or maybe you have also had negative experiences with others in the workplace, making it difficult and arduous to go to work every morning.
Positive relationships are crucial for psychological safety at work. Employees need to feel comfortable expressing themselves. If they don't, negative emotions linger and harm the team. Leaders must foster trust by seeking feedback, being transparent about successes and failures, implement staff ideas, and resolving conflicts collaboratively. Team activities and shared meals can also help build strong bonds among team members, enhancing psychological safety. ‘Breaking bread’ can be an incredible way to build morale and empathy.
#2 Group dynamics, just like interpersonal relationships, can have a profound impact on psychological safety. The quality of how team members interact can truly make or break an employee’s experience within the organization. Leaders should consider whether employees communicate directly with each other or if there's a prevalence of gossip and passive aggressiveness within the group. They should also assess whether the team effectively resolves problems or gets stuck in frustration and give up on finding solutions. Understanding group interactions, promoting collaboration, and encouraging healthy communication are essential for fostering trust and belonging, which are crucial for healthy group dynamics and retaining high quality staff.
#3 Leadership might be one of the most essential factors that define the level of psychological safety on a team. Leaders hold the very job and security of the team members they are responsible for in the palm of their hands, and employees know it! Staff are already reluctant to bring up difficult topics because the nature of the hierarchical system puts employees ‘below’ leaders, so those power dynamics are a real thing. If a leader wields their power by managing with a superior perspective, no employee will ever feel safe to bring up things that they perceive will put a target on their back.
Leaders must cultivate trust by giving space for employees to speak up and share their honest feedback and thoughts about any given topic, especially when change is happening within their team or organization. As Brené Brown puts it, leaders must ‘rumble with vulnerability’ with their team members, honestly discuss difficult topics, and allow space for fears, frustrations, and concerns to be expressed without fear of being put down, brushed off, or marginalized for their perspectives. When leaders can create space for honest communication to be present, they are more likely to understand what challenges are present and what possible solutions could be implemented. Without that, leaders could very well be in the dark and miss a great opportunity to uncover roadblocks.
#4 Organizational norms fall into two categories: Articulated norms and unspoken norms. Articulated norms refer to documented behaviors, policies, or procedures, while unspoken norms encompass implicit expectations not readily found in manuals. Examples of unspoken norms include working overtime to meet deadlines or keeping personal life separate from work. These unwritten rules can negatively affect psychological safety, especially if not communicated to new hires upfront. If work-life balance is important to them, and they didn’t know they are expected to work overtime to meet deadlines, that could have a profound impact on how they perceive the company, as well as build resentment right out of the gate. Clear communication and documentation of norms promote transparency, which is essential for building psychological safety. When unspoken norms are identified, they should be documented and communicated to employees, allowing them to make informed decisions about their fit within the organization. Understanding norms provides security, builds trust, and sets clear expectations for the success of the employee.
Organizations who prioritize these four key areas can enhance psychological safety within their teams, fostering healthy, collaborative, and engaged workplaces where employees feel valued and are dedicated to the company's success.
Written by: Kelli Oberndorf
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