Psychological safety at work: four stages for thriving
As crucial as the physical well-being of employees is at the workplace, it is equally vital for companies to maintain psychological safety at work. A psychologically safe workplace fosters trust, collaboration, and innovation, paving the way for employees to thrive.
According to Google’s Project Aristotle, psychological safety is the most important factor in building successful teams. Teams with high psychological safety are characterized by mutual respect and trust, leading to increased creativity and overall job satisfaction.
But, what is psychological safety? Is it even possible or completely Utopian? Let’s dive straight into the world of psychologically safe work environments.
Contents
What is psychological safety?
Psychological safety in the workplace refers to an environment where employees feel secure enough to take risks, express their ideas, and voice concerns without fear of retribution. As the Harvard Business Review notes, “employees who feel safe are able to unleash their talents and bring their whole selves to work.” So, psychologically safe workplaces foster high-performing teams and an inclusive work culture.
For instance, in a psychologically safe team, a junior member might confidently suggest a new approach to a project, knowing their input will be valued and considered. Similarly, an employee might feel comfortable admitting a mistake, trusting that their admission will lead to collective problem-solving rather than individual blame.
Four stages of psychological safety
Dr. Timothy R. Clark, CEO of LeaderFactor and author of “The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety”, states that there are four stages of psychological safety. Each stage can significantly enhance the workplace environment, enabling employees to thrive:
Inclusion safety
Inclusion safety is the foundation of psychological safety, ensuring all team members feel accepted and valued for who they are. This stage focuses on diversity, equity, and fostering a sense of belonging.
How to implement inclusion safety?
- Encourage diversity: Promote a culture that values diversity in all forms – race, gender, age, background, and perspectives.
- Foster open communication: Create platforms and opportunities for all team members to voice their opinions and ideas.
- Lead by example: Leaders should model inclusive behavior by actively listening, showing empathy, and acknowledging everyone’s contributions.
- Address exclusion and discrimination: Proactively address behaviors or practices that exclude or marginalize individuals.
Learner safety
Learner safety allows employees to feel safe while engaging in the learning process. It encourages curiosity, risk-taking, and continuous improvement without the fear of negative consequences.
How to implement learner safety?
- Promote curiosity: Encourage a culture of curiosity where questions and queries are welcomed.
- Normalize mistakes: Emphasize that mistakes are part of the learning process and opportunities for growth.
- Provide constructive feedback: Offer feedback in a constructive manner, focusing on development rather than criticism.
- Support development: Invest in training and development programs that help individuals enhance their skills and knowledge.
Contributor safety
Contributor safety is all about enabling employees to actively participate and contribute their skills and ideas to the team. It fosters ownership, collaboration, and a shared sense of purpose. Contributor safety involves creating a culture that values and supports innovative thinking and problem-solving.
How to implement contributor safety?
- Empower employees: Give employees the autonomy and resources they need to perform their tasks effectively.
- Recognize contributions: Regularly acknowledge and celebrate the efforts and achievements of team members.
- Provide opportunities: Create opportunities for individuals to take on new challenges and responsibilities.
- Encourage collaboration: Foster a collaborative environment where team members can work together and leverage each other’s strengths.
Challenger safety
Challenger safety allows team members to question the status quo, challenge assumptions, and propose new ideas without fear of reprisal. This stage is crucial for fostering innovation and continuous improvement.
How to implement challenger safety?
- Encourage critical thinking: Endorse a culture that values critical thinking and encourages questioning existing processes and ideas.
- Support innovation: Provide resources and support for experimentation and innovative projects.
- Create safe spaces: Establish forums/meetings where employees can freely discuss and challenge ideas without repercussions.
- Respond positively: Respond to challenges and new ideas with openness and a willingness to consider alternative perspectives.
Creating psychological safety in the workplace is essential for fostering a culture of trust, innovation, and high performance. The 4 stages of psychological safety are key to making employees feel valued, supported, and empowered.
How can you build psychological safety at your workplace?
Leadership’s role
In her paper, “Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams”, Amy Edmondson stated that psychological safety is about creating a workplace where employees feel safe to take risks without fear of negative consequences. Taking this into account, leaders must encourage open dialogue and listen to team members without any bias. The encouragement is bound to automatically make the workplace psychologically safe.
Tips for managers
There’s a lot that goes into the proper management of teams. Constructive feedback, acknowledging team contributions, and creating inclusive environments are integral to creating psychological safety in the workplace by managers. Regular and genuine check-ins and anonymous feedback tools are effective for keeping employees cared for.
Maintaining psychological safety
Psychologically safe workplaces are possible. You can use several psychological safety indexes (PSIs) to survey your employees. Amy Edmondson, a pioneering leader in the industry, has The Fearless Organization Scan, specially curated to measure the psychological safety within teams in four different areas. The four areas of focus are – inclusion and diversity, attitude to risk and failure, open conversation, and willingness to help. Based on the findings, you can easily know what the psychological safety of your organization is and how you can improve it.
Frequently asked questions
- What is psychological safety?
- Psychological safety refers to an environment where employees feel secure to take risks, express their ideas, and voice concerns without fear of negative consequences. It is a key element in fostering high-performing teams and an inclusive work culture.
- Why does psychological safety at work matter?
- Psychological safety in a workplace is crucial because it encourages open communication, fosters innovation, and enhances employee engagement and well-being. Teams with high psychological safety are more collaborative, creative, and effective, leading to better overall performance.
- How do you create psychological safety at work?
- Creating psychological safety at work involves encouraging open communication and active listening. One also needs to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion along with constructive feedback and supporting risk-taking. Lastly, empowering employees to contribute and challenge ideas can help build a culture of mutual respect and empathy.
- How can I improve psychological safety within my team?
- To improve psychological safety in your teams, you have to foster an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued. Encourage continuous learning and skill development and empower team members to take ownership of their work and ideas. Further, promote healthy debates and respectful dissent and provide support and guidance to help team members thrive.
- What are the four stages of psychological safety?
- The four stages of psychological safety by Dr. Timothy R. Clark are:
- Inclusion Safety: Ensuring all team members feel accepted and valued.
- Learner Safety: Creating a safe environment for learning and development.
- Contributor Safety: Enabling active participation and contribution.
- Challenger Safety: Allowing team members to challenge ideas and practices constructively.
