Psychological Safety 101: How To Promote Innovation & Creativity At Work
A psychologically safe workplace is a place where people trust one another, feel comfortable raising questions or concerns, and are encouraged to take risks in order to learn and grow. In short, it's an environment where people will be open about their mistakes rather than hide them in fear of being judged or punished for those mistakes. With this definition in mind, let's dive into exactly how we can build psychological safety at our own organizations—and why it matters so much.
What is psychological safety?
Psychological safety is a team's shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.
This means that members feel comfortable being themselves, taking intellectual risks, and admitting mistakes in front of their peers. In other words, psychological safety means knowing that you're not going to be embarrassed or punished for giving your opinion, even if it turns out to be wrong or unpopular.
Why is psychological safety important?
The importance of psychological safety can't be overstated—it's one of the key components to building a healthy team. When team members feel safe to speak up and offer ideas, they can contribute more effectively. When they feel safe taking risks, their innovations are more likely to be successful.
When people feel unsafe, however, they tend not to speak up or take risks, and this can lead to problems in your organization's culture that ultimately affect productivity and performance.
Inclusion and belonging are key to creating a psychologically safe organization.
Psychological safety is not just about being brave enough to take risks. It's also about feeling safe enough to try new things, take chances, and be yourself. Inclusion and belonging are key components of creating a psychologically safe organization.
Inclusion means that all employees feel valued for who they are and what they bring to the team, rather than just how much value the company can get out of them as workers. Belonging means that people feel like part of their community at work and want to contribute because it makes them proud rather than simply because they fear punishment if they don't (or, worse yet, because they're bored).
Promote innovation and creativity at work through psychological safety.
Psychological safety is important for collaboration, teamwork, and innovation.
Collaboration: When you feel safe, you are more likely to share your ideas with others and ask for help when needed. This leads to better results because it allows people who have different perspectives on a problem or issue to come together to find solutions.
Teamwork: Psychological safety makes it easier for teams to work together effectively by reducing competition and helping team members feel comfortable giving feedback so they can improve their performance as individuals (and as part of the team).
Innovation: In order to innovate successfully, organizations need employees who feel confident speaking up about new ideas or suggestions—even if those ideas might not be popular with everyone else in the company at first glance—without feeling judged or penalized for doing so.
Build a psychologically safe workplace environment with these tips.
Foster a culture of psychological safety.
Create an environment where people feel safe to speak up and make mistakes.
Encourage open dialogue, reaffirm your organization's purpose and meaning, lead with openness, show curiosity, ask for feedback, and celebrate risk-taking.
Final thoughts.
In conclusion, it's important to remember that psychological safety is something that can be built over time and requires a lot of work. But the rewards are well worth it. By creating an environment where people feel safe enough to take risks and innovate, you'll be able to reap great rewards for both your team and your company as a whole!
