Insights Blog
Psychological Safety and High-Performance Teams
Psychological Safety and High-Performance Teams
It’s no secret that psychological safety makes or breaks teams.
As more organisations familiarise themselves with the research and concepts, the idea of safety is taking on a new meaning. Leaders have realised that psychological safety is the secret to high-performing teams. Safety is no longer perceived as the opposite of risk-taking, but as an enabler of experimentation.
The big question still lies in how to actually increase psychological safety. That’s where most organisations struggle. Most of us get the principles, but the recommendations usually feel too abstract. So how can you move from concept to execution?
Harvard Business School Professor, Amy EdmondsonPsychological safety is defined as “the belief that one won’t be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes.”
Unlike trust, which happens between two people, psychological safety is provided by the entire team.
Most importantly, it’s not about being nice, but respectful. Psychological safety provides the right environment for receiving candid feedback, admitting mistakes, and learning from your colleagues.
People tend to approach it in binary terms – either you have psychological safety, or you don’t. However, in my experience, people have it at different levels, so we have to approach psychological safety as a spectrum from low to high rather than something that is either present or not.
What is Psychological Safety in the workplace?
Psychological safety is the foundation of high-performing teams. It creates a space where people feel secure and safe to speak up, be themselves, and experiment.
Psychological safety is a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. People are not afraid of negative consequences like being criticized, ignored, laughed at, or punished.
High-performing teams need psychological safety. When people feel accepted and respected, they bring their best selves to work.
What Psychological Safety Is Not
Working in a psychologically safe environment does not mean that people always agree for the sake of being nice.
It also doesn’t mean that people will praise or unconditionally support everything you say. It’s not about being nice, but candid.
Psychological Safety provides the space to address conflict productively. It enables people to speak up, be candid, and think of what’s best for the team. And it isn’t about saying everything you want or being disrespectful either. It’s not about being authentic, but candid and assertive.
What are the benefits of Psychological Safety?
Increased Psychological Safety drives higher engagement, collaboration, and participation.
It increases creativity, conflict resolution, and overall well-being.Psychological Safety makes it easier to include the voice of quiet members. It leads to better team performance by increasing participation of women, introverts, and minorities – the ones who are interrupted the most at work.
Does Psychological Safety lower team performance?
On the contrary, feeling safe doesn’t mean being comfortable. It allows people to embrace discomfort, address conflict, and solve problems.
A study by The Science of Creating High-Performing Teams shows that employees who feel their teams are safe are:
- 76% more engaged
- 50% more productive
- 50% more likely to stay
There is a 4-Stage framework designed by Timothy Clark that describes the level of safety in a team environment through several stages that naturally build upon one another. These stages are defined as:
- Inclusion Safety: the ability to belong in a group, feel safe being yourself, and be accepted for who you are
- Learner Safety: the ability to learn and grow by asking questions, giving & receiving feedback, experimenting, and even making mistakes
- Contributor Safety: the ability to make a difference by using your skills and abilities to make a meaningful contribution
- Challenger Safety: the ability to make things better by speaking up and challenging the status quo when there is an opportunity for improvement.
Throughout each stage of safety, the emphasis remains on providing an environment where risks and vulnerability are rewarded.
Final Thoughts
You may know your team quite well, or maybe you think you know your team quite well. But don’t wait to assess your team’s psychological safety. It could be what’s holding you back!
