How to build psychological safety (5 Practical Tips)

Beitragsbild

Want to Make Faster Progress? This Tool Transformed How I Learn

Today, Beyond Productivity is brought to you by Shortform. They provide the best book summaries I’ve come across.

Shortform gives you key insights from top non-fiction books without fluff, using:

  • Concise 1-page summaries

  • In-depth chapter guides

  • Interactive exercises

Their book guides have transformed my productivity and growth by making learning faster.

One of my favorite books, Deep Work by Cal Newport, is packed with timeless and clever advice, and Shortform’s summary made it easy to apply. Plus, their AI Chrome extension summarizes articles, YouTube videos, and podcasts.

Get access to thousands of book guides for the price of one book per month. Grab a free trial and 20% off at http://shortform.com/beyondproductivity.

“Finding out that you are wrong is even more valuable than being right, because you are learning.” – Amy Edmondson

Why it works

Amy Edmondson (pictured above) is a Harvard professor and author best known for her groundbreaking research on psychological safety in the workplace. In her influential 1999 paper, she defined that concept as “a shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking”. Her book The Fearless Organization explores how creating a culture of psychological safety can drive organizational success. 

To help teams balance psychological safety with high performance standards, Prof. Edmondson developed a simple yet powerful framework featuring four distinct zones. In the Comfort Zone (high safety, low standards), everyone’s polite, nobody takes risks, and growth is minimal. In the Apathy Zone (low safety, low standards), team members show up physically, but their minds and hearts check out, so progress stalls. In the Anxiety Zone (low safety, high standards), ideas stay hidden, questions remain unasked, and innovation dies.

The ultimate goal is the fourth zone — the Learning Zone (high safety, high standards). This is where you want your team to be. It’s where challenges are embraced, collaboration thrives, and innovation soars. To help your team reach and sustain this ideal state, below are five practical tips for building psychological safety.

How to do it

1) Encourage open dialogue
Let everyone know they can speak up without fear. Listen carefully and meet often to hear their concerns. Provide open and covert ways for team members to share their thoughts, and ensure you follow up on their feedback with meaningful action.

2) Recognize contributions
Celebrate team wins and individual efforts. Publicly thank people and give rewards to keep them motivated. Be specific when acknowledging contributions so that individuals know what behaviors or actions are valued.

3) Ensure inclusive meetings
Make sure everyone gets a chance to speak and share their ideas during meetings. Prepare an agenda in advance and encourage contributions from everyone, especially those who may be quieter or less inclined to speak up.

4) Maintain transparency
Share clear updates on goals and plans. Let the team know what’s happening and why. Hold regular check-ins or updates where you clearly communicate progress, challenges, and decisions, and provide opportunities for team members to ask questions or seek clarification.

5) Normalize failure
Turn mistakes into lessons. Start meetings by sharing what was learned from a recent failure. Encourage team members to reflect on and share their own learnings in a way that feels safe and constructive.

A psychologically safe team isn’t just happier. It’s unstoppable.

Which zone is your team in right now? Where do you want them to be?

If you want to delve deeper into Prof. Edmondson’s bestselling book The Fearless Organization, check it out on Shortform.