Do try this at work #9: Psychological Safety
Google tasked a team of researchers with solving the mystery of what makes a team effective? Over a period of two years, they reviewed 50 years of academic studies, conducted over 200 interviews, studied hundreds of teams, and analysed over 250 team attributes. They didn’t find what they were hoping to find — the recipe of attributes required to cook up effective teams, and it turns out there is no such recipe…
What they did find is that psychological safety is the key characteristic that helps to make teams effective (you can read about the other four characteristics they identified here). So what is psychological safety?
Psychological safety is a situation in which everyone is safe to take risks, voice their opinions, and ask judgment-free questions. A culture where managers provide protection and create safe zones so employees can let down their guard and experiment.
— So if I make a mistake, it’s not held against me.
Google has generously shared an excellent one-pager on How to foster Psychological Safety on your teams via their excellent rework.withgoogle.com website. However, it’s not only buried deep on their re:Work website, it’s also dreadfully formatted in a super squished Google doc! So, I’m reposting here in order to get more eyes on their wisdom. Thank you, Google for generously sharing this work 🙌
We've got to have everyone's brain - and voices - in the game, Amy Edmonson
*The following are Google’s suggestions and words, not my own:
Psychological Safety ‘hacks’
Demonstrate engagement
Be present and focus on the conversation (e.g., close your laptop during meetings).
Ask questions with the intention of learning from your teammates.
Offer input, be interactive, and show you’re listening.
Respond verbally to show engagement (“That makes sense. Tell us more.”).
Be aware of your body language; make sure to lean towards or face the person speaking.
Make eye contact to show connection and active listening.
Show understanding
Recap what’s been said to confirm mutual understanding/alignment (e.g., “What I heard you say is…”); then acknowledge areas of agreement, disagreement, and be open to questions within the group.
Validate comments verbally (“I understand.” “I see what you’re saying.”).
Avoid placing blame (“Why did you do this?”) and focus on solutions (“How can we work toward making sure this goes more smoothly next time?”, “What can we do together to make a game plan for next time?”).
Think about your facial expressions — are they unintentionally negative (a scowl or grimace)?
Demonstrate understanding during conversations/meetings.
Be inclusive in interpersonal settings
Share information about your personal work style and preferences, encourage teammates to do the same.
Be available and approachable to teammates (e.g., make time for ad hoc 1:1 conversations, feedback sessions, career coaching).
Clearly communicate the purpose of ad hoc meetings scheduled outside normal 1:1s/team meetings.
Express gratitude for contributions from the team.
Step in if team members talk negatively about another team member.
Have open body posture (e.g., face all team members, don’t turn your back to part of the group).
Build rapport (e.g., talk with your teammates about their lives outside of work).
Be inclusive in decision-making
Solicit input, opinions, and feedback from your teammates.
Don’t interrupt or allow interruptions (e.g., step in when someone is interrupted and ensure his/her idea is heard).
Explain the reasoning behind your decisions (live or via email/Slack/Teams, walk the team through how you arrived at a decision).
Acknowledge input from others (e.g., highlight when team members were contributors to a success or decision).
Show confidence and conviction without appearing inflexible
Facilitate team discussions (e.g., don’t allow side conversations in team meetings, make sure conflict isn’t personal).
Use a voice that is clear and audible in a team setting.
Support and represent the team (e.g., share team’s work with senior leadership, give credit to teammates).
Invite the team to challenge your perspective and push back.
Model vulnerability; share your personal perspective on work and failures with your teammates.
Encourage teammates to take risks, and demonstrate risk-taking in your own work.
Sources (cited by Google)
Edmondson and Lei (2014). “Psychological Safety: The History, Renaissance, and Future of an Interpersonal Construct,” Annual Review Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior.
Edmondson (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly June 1999.
Goman, Carol Kinsey Ph.D.. ‘The Silent Language of Leaders: How Body Language Can Help — or Hurt — How You Lead.’ Jossey-Bass Publishing, April 2011.
Further resources
https://rework.withgoogle.com/guides/understanding-team-effectiveness/steps/introduction/
Building a psychologically safe workplace | Amy Edmondson:
