OVERVIEW
Psychological safety in the workplace refers to a team climate in which staff feels comfortable expressing their opinions, admitting mistakes, giving and receiving feedback, suggesting improvements, and pointing out problems without fear of embarrassment, punishment, or rejection by the rest of the team.
In a psychologically safe team, all members have equal rights to express themselves, regardless of their position, job title, or rank.
Professor Amy Edmondson (currently a Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School) coined the expression psychological safety in the 1990s, as a result of her research on whether high-performing medical teams made more or fewer mistakes than low-performing teams.
It surprisingly turned out that high-performing teams made more mistakes, which was puzzling. So, upon further investigation, Amy Edmondson realized that high-performing teams did not make more mistakes but reported more. That meant that they were more open and felt able to speak about mistakes without fear.
Since that project, Prof Edmondson carried out many more research projects in different companies with consistent results and she developed the concept of psychological research.
Later, in 2012, Google carried out a research project called Aristotle to find out why some workplace teams performed better than others.
The final result was that psychological safety was not only the most important factor that led to a team’s success but it also underpinned all other factors, such as dependability, structure, meaning, and impact.
- Identify what psychological safety is and why it’s important.
- Pinpoint the things that undermine psychological safety.
- Analyze the factors that drive psychological safety.
- Start to develop a strategy to support psychological safety in your team.
- Typically spans 2 days (9am to 5pm).
- Nonetheless, we can customize both the program’s duration and schedule to cater to unique client requirements (e.g., compact 1-day workshops or extended sessions beyond 3 days).
- Leaders and Managers
- Supervisors
- Executives
- Team Leads
- Change Agents
- Human Resources Professionals
PROGRAM OUTLINE
Introduction
- Welcome and objectives of the day.
- Icebreaker activity to get participants comfortable with each other.
Module 1 – What psychological safety is and why it is important
- Defining Psychological Safety
- Brief history and origin of the term.
- Difference between feeling safe and psychological safety.
- Distinguishing Psychological Safety
- The difference between psychological safety and other related concepts such as trust.
- Common misconceptions about psychological safety.
- Performance & Psychological Safety
- The relationship between psychological safety and performance standards.
- Why teams with psychological safety outperform others.
- Learning Behaviors & Psychological Safety
- Examples of learning behavior.
- How a safe environment fosters growth and adaptability.
- Understanding Failures
- Types of failure: Blameworthy vs. Praiseworthy.
- Embracing failure as a learning opportunity.
- Benefits of Psychological Safety
- Advantages for team cohesion and productivity.
- Personal benefits: Reduced stress, better well-being.
Module 2 – How to improve psychological safety in a team
- Barriers to Psychological Safety
- Things that undermine psychological safety.
- Real-world examples and case studies.
- Fostering Psychological Safety
- Things that encourage it.
- The role of vulnerability in building a safe environment.
- Leadership & Psychological Safety
- Strategies that leaders can adopt to drive psychological safety in their team.
- Case studies of leaders who’ve successfully fostered a psychologically safe environment.
- Creating a Psychological Safety Action Plan
- Assessing the current state of a team’s psychological safety.
- Step-by-step guide to improving and maintaining it.
- Monitoring and recalibrating as necessary.
Interactive Activities & Discussions
- Scenario Analysis: Participants analyze given scenarios to identify whether they encourage or undermine psychological safety.
- Role Play: Participants act out scenarios to understand the dynamics of psychological safety.
- Group Discussion: Participants share experiences, challenges, and success stories related to psychological safety.
- Action Planning Workshop: Participants work in groups to draft a psychological safety action plan for hypothetical teams.
End of Day 1
- Summarizing key takeaways.
- Distribution of resources for further reading and learning.
- Feedback session: Understanding participant’s key learnings, areas of improvement, and suggestions for future sessions.
Reflection of Day 1
- Recap of Day 1: A brief overview of the previous day’s key takeaways to refresh participants’ memories.
- Objectives of Day 2: Setting the scene for the day ahead.
Module 3 – Reframing Failure and Uncertainty
- Purpose and Outcomes
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- Understanding the ‘Why’ behind actions and decisions.
- Differentiating between tangible outcomes (results) and intangible outcomes (confidence, morale, etc.).
- Setting Expectations
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- Recognizing the inevitability of failure and uncertainty in work settings.
- Embracing failure as a stepping stone to success, not as a setback.
- Reframing Failure
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- Shifting perceptions: Failure as a learning opportunity.
- Analyzing past failures: What went wrong and what can be done differently?
Module 4 – Enhancing Team Conversations
- The Art of Questioning
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- Crafting effective questions to stimulate thought and discussion.
- Active listening: Engaging fully and understanding team members’ perspectives.
- Dialogue vs. Monologue
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- Encouraging more back-and-forth exchanges in meetings.
- The benefits of dialogue-driven conversations for team cohesion and idea generation.
- Ask More, Tell Less
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- Shifting from a directive to an inquisitive leadership approach.
- The power of inquiry in driving team innovation and engagement.
Module 5 – Interaction Dynamics
- Responding to Interactions
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- Effective and empathetic communication: Addressing concerns and feedback.
- Handling difficult or confrontational interactions with grace and professionalism.
- Building an Inclusive Environment
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- Ensuring everyone has a voice and feels valued.
- Addressing biases and promoting a culture of inclusivity and respect.
Conclusion & End of Day 2
- Summarizing key takeaways from both days.
- Emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and adaptation in fostering psychological safety.
- Feedback session: Capturing participant’s reflections, areas of improvement, and suggestions for future iterations of the program.
PROGRAM METHODOLOGY
- Hands-on Activities: Practical exercises to reinforce theoretical concepts.
- Group Discussions: Opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and exchange of ideas.
- Role Plays: Simulations of realistic situations to build practical skills.
- Feedback Sessions: Reviews and reflections to encourage improvement.
- Problem-solving Exercises: Develop critical thinking and decision-making skills.
- Experiential Learning: Learning by doing, promoting active involvement.
- Interactive Lectures: Engaging presentations by experts in the field.
- Case Studies: Real-world scenarios for learners to apply their knowledge.
- Quizzes & Tests: Regular assessments to track learning progress.