Why leaders need to learn psychological safety for top performance
Psychological safety in the workplace, where people feel comfortable to speak up without fear of reprisal, affects both employee performance and engagement. Creating a psychologically-safe environment requires skilled leaders. And it’s a skill any leader can learn.
“Leaders are critical in setting the tone,” explains Monash Corporate Education’s Associate Professor Carly Moulang.
“This isn’t just limited to C-suite leaders. Research shows that psychological safety can vary substantially across groups in the same organisation. That is because leaders in such groups may be skilled or unskilled at providing the right climate for psychological safety.”
As a leader, it can be easy to think that when no one is voicing any concerns then everything is fine. But leaders need to be mindful of too much silence within their organisations. No one wants to come across as ignorant, incompetent or intrusive at work, so instead of speaking up, asking questions or admitting mistakes, they stay silent.
“When staff think about speaking up they go through a risk calculation, which may not be entirely conscious,” says Dr Moulang. “When silence is chosen because of those perceived risks, then no one benefits.”
Research shows that psychological safety is critical for businesses that need highly effective and adaptable teams to approach challenges and opportunities, and crucial for creativity and innovation. It helps an organisation to identify problems, mistakes and opportunities for improvement, and fosters the sharing of knowledge, ideas and collaboration. Staff members who feel safe and respected continue to learn, challenge and improve, and are less likely to leave the organisation.
In a workplace culture where pointing out errors is considered a safe thing to do, these mistakes can be caught and corrected much earlier (and at lesser cost) than in an environment where employees consider this too risky.
Do you remember “Dieselgate”?
In 2015, German car manufacturer Volkswagen was found to have cheated emissions tests through the installation of “defeat device” software in 11 million diesel engines. It the wake of the scandal, it was claimed the then-CEO had fostered a ‘climate of fear’ within the company.
“The climate of fear was effective at creating the illusion that goals were achieved,” Dr Moulang says.
“As staff could not safely disclose their apprehension of the technological obstacle and their inability to address this directly, they created a ‘workaround’. It was successful until it wasn’t, and it resulted in company losses and criminal investigations.”
Psychological safety in a workplace is constantly evolving and, therefore, requires constant attention from leadership. While some teams may be thriving, others within the same organisation may languish. Here are some key things leaders can do to help cultivate psychological safety within their team:
- Be curious and actively demonstrate this when facing challenges in the workplace.
- Demonstrate ethical leadership – interact with employees truthfully, with openness, trust and mutual respect.
- Be self-aware. For instance, react in ways that invite open discussions; demonstrate concern and listen mindfully.
- Understand that every interaction can help create the conditions for psychological safety. Underestimating your behaviour and its impact is probably one of the biggest mistakes a leader can make.
What is a good example of psychological safety?
Google was interested in how to create the perfect team and so began Project Aristotle. This involved studying hundreds of teams within the company and trying to determine what made some groups thrive while others didn’t. The process became challenging as strong patterns failed to emerge, despite having rich internal workforce data.
The project researchers turned their focus towards group norms and, after a year, concluded that understanding and influencing these was the key to improving teams at Google.
“They then went deeper to figure out which norms mattered most, and during this process they came across the term ‘psychological safety’ and the work of commented:
“The paradox, of course, is that Google’s intense data collection and number crunching have led it to the same conclusions that good managers have always known. In the best teams, members listen to one another and show sensitivity to feelings and needs.”
How can your teams thrive with psychological safety?
Monash Corporate Education can equip your leaders with the vital skills to cultivate psychological safety in your workplace.