As a manager or coach, you are no doubt aware of how important a strong and resilient team is for a company’s success. But in addition to clear communication and effective work processes, there is another crucial factor that is often neglected: psychological safety. But what exactly is psychological safety? Why is it so important for odporność zespołu, and how can managers and coaches specifically promote it? You’ll learn about this in this article.
What Is Psychological Safety?
According to the renowned Harvard behavioral scientist Amy C. Edmondson, psychological safety is the belief within a team that interpersonal risks can be safely taken. Psychological safety is the certainty of each individual team member that they can express themselves freely in a group and contribute without fear of negative consequences. It is therefore about each team member feeling accepted and not having to fear being criticized or punished for their opinions or ideas.
The Three Essential Aspects of Psychological Safety
According to psychologists Jasmine Zahno and Joseph Perl-Rine, psychological safety encompasses three central elements that are indispensable for a well-functioning and crisis-proof team:
- Branie odpowiedzialności: Clarity of mission and sufficient competence enable team members to take responsibility for their work and its results.
- Okazywanie wrażliwości: An open approach to dealing with uncertainties and sharing experiences creates a deep foundation of trust.
- Zaufanie: Team members can rely on each other without fear of disadvantage – a basic requirement for any successful collaboration.
The two researchers emphasize that mutual trust and respect within the team are essential to creating an atmosphere of openness.
Why Is Psychological Safety Important for Team Resilience?
Several studies have shown that a high level of psychological safety contributes significantly to team resilience. Teams with a high level of psychological safety are better able to deal with changes and challenges because they have a supportive and constructive working environment. In addition, a high level of psychological safety promotes innovation and creativity in the team because each member dares to contribute new ideas. The advantages at a glance:
- Promoting innovation: Teams feel encouraged to develop new ideas because they are not afraid of making mistakes.
- Faster problem solving: Open communication makes it possible to identify difficulties early on and find solutions together.
- Stronger bonds: Team members who experience trust and support are less stressed, more engaged and more loyal.
- Effective learning: A culture that views mistakes as learning opportunities drives continuous improvement.
How Can I Strengthen Psychological Safety?
As a manager, you have a great deal of influence over the psychological safety of your team. As a trainer or coach, you can also work with teams to strengthen psychological safety in a targeted way. Here are some tips on how you can promote it:
- Create an open culture of communication: Give your team space for constructive discussions and listen actively. Show understanding for different opinions and encourage your team to speak up.
- Choose your words carefully: Avoid condescending or aggressive language and instead encourage constructive criticism and feedback.
- Be a role model: Model openness and honesty and be willing to reflect on yourself and admit mistakes.
- Promote diversity: Different perspectives and experiences contribute to innovation. Make sure that every team member is respected and included, regardless of gender, origin or background.
- Set clear rules: Define rules of conduct for open and respectful communication together with your team and adhere to them yourself.
Practical Exercise to Strengthen Psychological Safety: The “Safe Space” Check-In
To sustainably promote psychological safety in a team, you can use the following reflection exercise as a manager or coach.
An effective method for strengthening psychological safety is the “safe space” check-in. This exercise can be used at the beginning of a meeting or workshop:
Procedure:
- Invitation to reflect: Ask each team member to briefly reflect on how safe they feel sharing their opinions and mistakes in the group.
- Anonymous feedback round: Use digital tools or cards on which everyone can anonymously rate on a scale from 1 (insecure) to 10 (very secure).
- Exchange and improvement: Discuss the results openly in the team. What leads to insecurity? What can be improved?
- Derive binding measures: Define concrete steps with the team to create an even safer team environment.
This exercise sensitizes the team to aspects of psychological safety and highlights specific opportunities for improvement.
Psychological Safety as a Competitive Advantage
Psychological safety is not a “soft” topic, but a crucial factor for the performance and resilience of teams. Organizations that actively promote psychological safety benefit from more creative, engaged, and resilient teams. Leaders and coaches can shape a trusting and open team culture – and thus lay the foundation for sustainable success.
