Why ‘Being Nice’ Isn’t Enough: The Key to Team Success
Have you heard of Google's Aristotle Project? If you didn’t know already, I’m kind of a nerd when it comes to research studies and findings that help support some of the biggest challenges in the workplace. The whole goal of this study was to identify dynamics that cultivate an effective team. In studying how to create this perfect team, they found that it wasn’t about hiring and having top performers, it was the level of psychological safety within the team that cultivated the high performance.
But what is psychological safety, really?
“Psychological Safety” has become somewhat of a buzzword, which makes it difficult to align on what it actually means.
Psychological safety is the belief that one can speak up, take risks, and be vulnerable without fear of negative consequences. It's about creating an environment where every team member feels safe to share their ideas, admit mistakes, have respectful debate and disagreement, voice concerns and struggles, and be their authentic selves. Amy Edmondson is an author, professor of leadership at Harvard Business School, and an expert in this space. She defines psychological safety as the felt permission for candor to others within the organization.
I recently traveled to San Francisco to co-facilitate an initial workshop on what psychological safety is (and also what it is not) and why it’s so important within an organization. Before providing the all-staff presentation, I had an opportunity to provide a micro-training to the leadership team.
Now, let’s rewind a couple weeks to the point in time when this company realized the need for psychological safety support. There had been an incident where a leader over-reacted in an emotional way towards an employee. It wasn’t private, it was loud, and it was a little bit of a scene.
While providing the leadership micro-training someone made the statement “We just need to be nicer to each other”. It’s not about “being nicer” - it’s about communication. How we communicate to each other has an impact on what we are willing to share and how we are willing to show up. If we fear judgment or reaction when we make a mistake, we will be less likely to offer ideas or try new things. We will stunt our own growth in order to avoid a negative outcome. Check out our next blog post to learn more about communication and the impact it has on all aspects of your organization, including the bottom line!
This is because psychological safety isn’t just psychological… It's physiological!
From a neurological perspective, in order to have that felt permission for candor, psychological safety truly means that your nervous system is in a safe state. Props to Alla Weinberg for calling this out!
And another Alla-ism: Psychological safety in and of itself is not the goal, rather it is the means to achieving business goals and objectives. Think of it like the foundation of a house that supports and holds everything else up with integrity.
Psychological Safety isn't a "nice-to-have," it's vital for team effectiveness, productivity, and collaboration! Embracing psychological safety sparks a chain reaction of innovation, risk-taking, and continuous learning. It helps to build a team that's not afraid to try new things and learns from mistakes like champions! And the best part? It boosts productivity, job satisfaction, and employee engagement, creating a powerhouse of collaborative brilliance!
Where to start…
The number one question I hear around psychological safety is: How do I do it? Here are some tips for cultivating psychological safety. It doesn’t matter what level you are, the role you have, YOU can make a difference!
We thrive in environments that respect us & allow us to:
1. Feel included,
2. Feel safe to learn,
3. Feel safe to contribute, &
4. Feel safe to challenge the status quo.
If we can't do these things, if it's emotionally expensive, fear shuts us down. Which is also expensive for your bottom line!
Psychological safety is NOT about avoiding conflict, promoting uninhibited speech, or pursuing consensus; rather, it's the nurturing of an environment where honest, respectful communication thrives, difficult conversations can occur, and accountability is upheld, all while valuing diverse perspectives and fostering trust—which is an ongoing commitment, not a mere declaration.
Recommended Reading:
This month's recommended read is an article from MIT Sloan Management Review: “Proven Tactics for Improving Teams’ Psychological Safety.” The research highlights an experiment that reveals interventions to increase employees’ comfort with speaking up and raising concerns. In essence, this research underscores the importance of psychological safety as a basic tenant of strong organizational culture.
Too busy to read? Here are the key takeaways:
Treat individuals as unique: Managers who treated individuals as unique demonstrated higher psychological safety than groups where it was not the case. There was a 12% increase in psychological safety in control groups.
No one size fits all: Results varied depending on the individual starting point of each group, hence there was a strong need to customize interventions. Initially treating individuals as unique yields good results, however once psychological safety attains a hygiene level, removing blockers is warranted.
Results can be achieved with low cost interventions: The experiment showed that you don’t need expensive campaigns to achieve results. Low cost interventions weaved in current platforms that cause minimal disruption are very effective.
Weave it in: Psychological safety is not required to be promoted as a concept, it needs to be weaved in the operational functions and dynamics of the organization.
Organization vs team dynamics: The experiment showed that there are differences in responses to the pulse survey at team and organizational level. Therefore it becomes imperative on how the corporation views the results. Perception differs at team and organizational level and it matters. Therefore the method of survey gains importance. It is better to aggregate team level data than measure the response at an organization level. This nuance is an important one.
Psychological Safety is a game changer in terms of team dynamics. It's more than a buzzword, it's the secret sauce that takes teams from good to great! As one can expect, increasing psychological safety at the workplace yields good results in the form of increased productivity, higher performance, more innovation, and greater chances that employees will speak up about ethical concerns. Each organization must do their own research to obtain the optimal approach to increase psychological safety.
And remember, psychological safety in itself shouldn’t be the goal, instead it is the foundation upon which a team/organization is able to more efficiently and effectively REACH their goals! It’s also a process! It’s not something that can simply be declared, but rather an ongoing commitment at all levels within the organization.
Ready to increase psychological safety in your team(s)?
If you're looking to create stronger psychological safety of your teams, I'm here to support you. Whether it's personalized coaching, workshops for your team, or tailored strategies for your organization, I'm dedicated to helping you achieve your goals and can connect you with true experts in this field. If this sounds like something you may be interested in, feel free to reach out by scheduling some time with me below.
Thank you for being a part of the Thrive Mind Collaborative community. Here's to your continued success and growth as an exceptional leader. Give thought to how you are cultivating a psychologically safe environment for your team(s) and feel free to utilize the infographic above within your organization!
