Have you ever wanted to ask a question during a meeting, but\ndidn\u2019t because you thought you should already know the answer? Or have you\nnoticed an issue with a project but kept it to yourself because you were afraid\nof calling out a team member\u2019s mistake? While it may feel safer to not ask\nquestions, admit weaknesses or share critiques, you end up missing out on\nsomething important: small learning opportunities that help you and your team\ngrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Amy Edmondson, a professor at Harvard Business School, studies\nthe relationship between successful teams and how they handle mistakes. When\nshe began her research in 1999, she hypothesized that the most successful teams\nwould make the fewest mistakes. Surprisingly, this was not the case! She discovered\nthat the most successful teams made more<\/em>\nmistakes. However, they were open and candid about them and used them as learning\ntools. From this research, Edmondson identified the concept of \u201cpsychological safety,\u201d\nor the belief that you won\u2019t be punished for making a mistake (Delizonna,\n2017). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Edmondson explains that psychological safety is not about\nbeing \u201cnice\u201d to each other; it is about trust. Building trust through candid\nfeedback, shared learning, and the ability to admit mistakes without fear (\u201cCreating Psychological Safety,\u201d\n2019). The concept of psychological safety impacts employees at all levels and,\ntherefore, the overall success of your team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The alternative \u2013 a lack of trust between team members \u2013 can\ncreate a culture of blame, denial, and cover-ups, which stems from wanting to\nlook competent in front of our colleagues. How does this impact a team\u2019s\nsuccess? When employees do not have psychological safety, they don\u2019t share new\nideas, innovation is slowed and competitive advantage stalls; the team suffers.\nHealthy teams still have issues, they just have a positive way to channel\nmistakes into learning opportunities and improvements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what happens if you make a mistake at work? If you are a\nleader, what happens if someone on your team makes a mistake? If you\u2019re told to\nkeep your eyes down and \u201cdon\u2019t rock the boat\u201d these are warning signs that your\nteam is in trouble. How can you improve psychological safety on your team? Key\naspects of a psychologically safe work environment include learning and\npracticing resiliency skills and modeling behavior that will help others feel\nsafe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Psychologically safe environments include many different\nexpressions. To help you begin to think about your work environment, do you\nagree or disagree with the following statements? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Interested in learning more about psychological safety? MSU faculty and staff can access the resources below for free on elevateU, including Edmondson\u2019s new book, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Delizonna, L., Tjan, A. K., Walker, C. A., D\u2019Souza, S.,\n& Renner, D. (2017, August 24). High-Performing Teams Need Psychological\nSafety. Here’s How to Create It. Retrieved from https:\/\/hbr.org\/2017\/08\/high-performing-teams-need-psychological-safety-heres-how-to-create-it<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Creating\nPsychological Safety in the Workplace. (2019, January 22). Retrieved from https:\/\/hbr.org\/ideacast\/2019\/01\/creating-psychological-safety-in-the-workplace<\/a>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Free elevateU Resources Featuring Dr. Edmondson\u2019s Research: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Books:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Videos:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Instructor-Led Courses to Help Build Relevant Skills:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n