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Psychological Safety — The Single Most Important Trait That Makes a High-Performing Team
What is psychological safety, and why is it so important? Tips on how to improve your team
You may have heard of the term “psychological safety” already. You might have assumed it’s just another buzzword in a sea of meaningless chatter. Or maybe you have no clue what I’m talking about and have landed on this article with an open mind.
I came across this idea as I was about to start my first role as an engineering manager. I had been on that team for nearly a year as a software engineer, so I knew which aspects of our ways could be improved. Specifically, I wanted to focus on how to make the team collaborate and trust each other more.
While researching how to enhance our team dynamic, I read about psychological safety and discovered a workshop to help measure and improve it. This article is my summary and explanation of many activities I implemented to help the team. I’ll also share some positive feedback and results we found in the weeks following.
What Is It?
I’m going to use an excerpt from the Centre for Creative Leadership that summarises this well:
“Psychological safety is the belief that you won’t be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. At work, it’s a shared expectation held by members of a team that teammates will not embarrass, reject, or punish them for sharing ideas, taking risks, or soliciting feedback.”
I like to think of it as a feeling of belonging to a group. Knowing you can be vulnerable and take risks without any negative consequences. Your team has your back, no matter what.
Amy Edmondson coined the term and has a brilliant Ted Talk on psychological safety that I recommend watching if you are interested.
Why Is It Important?
Imagine working in a team or a company without this safety. If you make a mistake, you will get penalised. This can lead to a workplace where fear is the driving force, and team morale is down.
