Workplace Psychological Safety Lives And Dies in Conversation

5 conversations that can help create psychological safety

In my 30 years of working with teams (good and not so good), I have discovered that improving a group’s psychological safety is critical to changing team dynamics and assuring the mission is accomplished. Amy C. Edmondson, who coined the term “psychological safety,” defines it this way: “Psychological safety isn't about being nice. … It's about giving candid feedback, openly admitting mistakes, and learning from each other. … [T]hat kind of organizational culture is increasingly important in the modern economy.”

 

An extensive Google People Operation analysis surprisingly named psychological safety as the dynamic likeliest to cause a team to soar or sink. Dependability, structure and clarity, the meaning of work, and the impact of work rounded out the top five.

But creating psychological safety is easier said than done. I have found psychological safety to be more accessible if viewed through a lens of emotions and conversations. When we listen carefully, every conversation reflects the level of trust and emotional safety of the group. Leaders are usually unaware of the importance of psychological safety and blind to the authority of their words within hierarchies. In business, certain emotions have long been considered verboten. Women who shed a heartfelt tear often receive messages (sometimes in-your-face and sometimes subtle) demanding that they leave their emotions at home, whereas an aggressive man who lambasts someone in a meeting is rarely reprimanded.

This is tricky territory. It’s not as simple as asking a team to “feel free to speak your mind.” Creating a culture where it’s safe to express opinions in conversation or meetings asks a lot of individuals and tests team dynamics. It’s challenging because individual egos, emotional triggers, team relationships, and appraisal systems all play a part in creating safety.

One corporation I advise has good values and clear cultural expectations: assume good intent, continuously improve our work, and operate as one team. But it also has a long, storied history of non-productive behavior from leadership. A leader’s disparaging look or critical comment can instantly squash dialogue. The key to creating psychological safety is changing our patterns of conversation. 

Here are five conversations that can help create psychological safety:

When I start working with a team, I open with an honest discussion about what psychological safety is, then I ask where they feel the team dynamics are on a scale of 1 to 5. It’s difficult for teams to face dysfunction, but it’s a crucial step. If team safety is low and no one feels safe speaking up, I request one-on-one, confidential conversations with team members to get the real story. Such conversations only succeed when the leader is aware of the power of their voice and the powerful impact that hierarchies have on maintaining the status quo. Stripes pack a wallop. The goal here is for all involved to acknowledge the current state, name the desired state, and work toward closing the gap. A team must commit to clear rules of engagement like respect, tolerance, and a learning attitude. 

Creating psychological safety begins with individual self-awareness. Each team member must become more aware of how their behavior contributes to respectful and tolerant interactions. It’s essential they understand why they feel safe or unsafe speaking up or how their behavior affects team safety. A common problem is how extroverts dominate and introverts withdraw. Through coaching or self-assessment, leaders and team members can reflect on their personal experiences, emotional triggers, and patterns of interaction so they can begin making small changes to support the team’s new commitment. Leaders can lead the way by humbly acknowledging what they have learned and what they will do differently. 

I encourage clients to assign time in meetings, small and large, for discussions of varying perspectives on any given topic. Hierarchies trigger our defensiveness and our need to be right and to win. Too often, the loudest voice or the leader’s opinion short circuits this conversation. A learning mindset, which requires individuals to suspend judgments and practice open advocacy and inquiry, is crucial. Making time for respectful exchanges of varying perspectives also slows the rush to action. Good dialogue occurs when multiple ideas can percolate and be absorbed. 

Possibility conversations are the most underappreciated conversation. In our rush to make decisions and take action, we act without exploring options, which discourages creativity. Just last week, I was working with an executive around a significant organizational change. Alone, he charted a dynamic shift and developed two scenarios. As we talked, we discovered that his worries about his direct reports’ reactions were driving his decision. I asked him to try to draw up the ideal way to re-structure his organization without specific names and without worrying about their responses. He also enlisted his leader to discuss his options. With this exploration, he uncovered four new possibilities. Good possibility conversations require us to slow down and consider options with an open, creative mindset. 

After action reviews (AARs) originated in the army. The military uses them to help soldiers and units provide feedback on a mission and identify and correct deficiencies in the mission performance. The key to successful AARs is in the spirit of their execution. The climate must encourage soldiers and leaders (regardless of rank) to openly and honestly discuss what transpired and commit to practices that will increase the probability of future success. The rules of engagement for AARs allow leaders to create psychological safety.
    
Many corporations have adopted AARs primarily as a review of lessons learned from specific projects. For teams working to increase psychological safety, I request an informal AAR of their meetings, interactions, and decision making. Assessing their process often reveals missed opportunities. Are individual behaviors, especially from leaders, allowing others to take risks and respectfully disagree? Are they progressing toward collaborative conversations? Are they deliberately taking time to consider new ideas and fresh solutions? 

Clarity of intention, brutal honesty, self-awareness, tolerance, and a learning mindset is the foundation of psychological safety. And practice makes perfect.