When researcher Amy Edmondson to investigate the thesis that high-performing teams have fewer reported mistakes than other teams, she discovered that it was just the opposite - there were more reported mistakes in high-performing teams. Why? There was psychological safety in these teams - they dared to talk about mistakes and saw it as an opportunity for learning and development. This was the start of what she later called 'Psychological Safety', which has been shown to be the most important component of high performing teams.
Psychological safety in teams is about people having the courage to speak their minds, thoughts and feelings, openly sharing ideas, asking for help and daring to fail.
Here, our parent company Moves Jannica Walterson gives some tips on how leaders can increase the psychological safety of their team.
- Build trust - be present, listen actively and be open.
- Focus on learning instead of doing - Share your own mistakes and lessons learned and encourage your colleagues to try to do the same.
- Be inclusive - Give everyone a voice and ask your employees for input and feedback.
A climate of psychological safety promotes innovation and learning and leads to more effective collaboration, which in turn affects both staff turnover and performance.
Every team has different challenges and needs. Do you need additional support and development for your team? Tailored team development can take your team to the next level. Read more about tailored team development here