The concept of psychological safety within teams has emerged as a cornerstone of innovative and high-performing organizations. When psychological safety is fostered on teams, it allows team members to confidently and openly share innovative ideas, ask questions, provide feedback, and acknowledge mistakes – key characteristics of a Last 8% Culture. Strategies for helping bring psychological safety to a team include leading with empathy, encouraging participation and sharing, viewing mistakes as learning opportunities, and welcoming honest feedback.
Psychological safety, a term popularized by Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmonson, refers to a team climate characterized by interpersonal trust and mutual respect where questions, idea sharing, mistakes and feedback are welcomed and encouraged – the key is how this happens without fear of shame, humiliation, or punishment, and this is considered a norm.
Why Psychological Safety is Crucial for Teams
Emotional Intelligence (EI) plays a pivotal role in cultivating an environment of psychological safety. IHHP defines emotional intelligence as the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others.
Teams with high levels of psychological safety are marked by enhanced levels of engagement, increased willingness to take risks without fear of being embarrassed or punished, and a higher rate of idea sharing and innovation – it is a key component of a Last 8% Culture. These teams are agile, adaptive, and much more likely to stay aligned with the fast-paced demands of the modern workplace. In the Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior (2023), it was noted how employees who feel more psychologically safe at work are more likely to engage in helpful and collaborative behaviors, as well as seek feedback for improvement from others.
According to Wiley, nearly one fifth of the individual contributors they surveyed said they did not feel safe taking risks on their team, and some reported feeling less safe to speak up and less valued for their contributions. If individual contributors don’t feel safe to share ideas and speak up when issues arise – which is characteristic of a fear-based culture – then organizational growth will be harder to achieve.
Strategies to Foster Psychological Safety on Your Team
Fostering psychological safety on a team from scratch can feel like a daunting task at first. We’ve curated a list of 6 strategies to help you build a culture of psychological safety and connection:
1. Lead with Empathy and Transparency
Leaders should strive to understand the feelings and perspectives of their team members. This can be achieved through active listening and by acknowledging the emotions present in the team. Emotional intelligence helps leaders emotionally connect with their team members and makes them feel valued, furthering the development of interpersonal trust and understanding. Additionally, transparency about goals, expectations, and the challenges at hand can also foster trust and open communication. Self-serving behaviors by leaders have been shown to reduce psychological safety, meaning it is critical for leaders to model an empathetic and connected team.
2. Encourage Participation and Voice
Make it a norm to invite input from all team members, especially those who are quieter or less likely to speak up. Use structured sharing exercises during meetings to ensure everyone’s ideas are heard. This not only boosts individual confidence but also ensures a diversity of thought in team discussions.
3. View Mistakes as Learning Opportunities
One of the most important factors of psychological safety is how mistakes are never shamed or punished. Shift the team’s mindset to view mistakes as essential steps in the learning process. When errors are made, focus on the key takeaways and solutions instead of assigning blame – research shows that psychological safety has been found to stimulate learning from failure in teams. Publicly acknowledging your own mistakes as a leader can reinforce this message and help make it a norm within the culture – this is referred to as a leader “modelling and owning” the culture on their team.
4. Facilitate Regular Feedback
Implement regular and constructive feedback mechanisms that help individuals understand their strengths and areas for improvement. Feedback should be timely, specific, and delivered in a manner that emphasizes growth and development. In one study by Finkelstein & Fishbach (2020), results showed how a focus on future behavior and ways to improve was associated with better feedback acceptance and motivation to change.
5. Develop Conflict Resolution Skills
Equip your team with effective conflict resolution skills through training and role-play exercises. Encourage a culture where conflict is seen as a way to forge better ideas and solutions rather than something detrimental.
6. Acknowledge Team Successes
Regularly recognize and celebrate team and individual achievements. This not only boosts morale but also reinforces the value of collective effort and collaboration. Recognition can come in the form of public recognition in a meeting, private recognition in a 1:1 call, a formal award or commendation, or even a promotion to show trust.
Fostering psychological safety is an ongoing process that requires consistent and conscious effort from leaders at all levels. By integrating emotional intelligence into leadership practices, organizations can create environments where employees feel valued, safe, and motivated to contribute their best. In such cultures, psychological safety becomes the bedrock upon which teams can innovate, collaborate, and perform at their highest levels, ultimately driving organizational success and growth.
By prioritizing these strategies, leaders can transform their workplace culture into a high-performing culture that not only supports but thrives on the principles of psychological safety and emotional intelligence.
Discover how IHHP’s Emotional Intelligence solutions and Last 8% Culture System can help bring psychological safety to your teams by chatting with a Learning Consultant.