PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY
On teams with high Psychological Safety, teammates are willing to take risks and be vulnerable in front of each other. They are confident they won’t be embar- rassed or judged as ignorant, incompetent, negative, or disruptive, regardless of the questions they ask or the ideas they propose. Psychological Safety score Good or Very Good? Reflect on the behaviors creating this condition. This will help you know what to do to maintain strength in this area. Psychological Safety score could be higher? Do The Work.
SUCCESS STORY. A team that worked with the Extension Foundation to improve their Psychological Safety increased their score in that category by 12 percentage points in 12 months. We focused on clarifying their core values and improving informal recognition on the team. Soon after their work with us, they received a $750,000 grant for their project.
THE WORK. Leader Work
FOR INSPIRATION In “Building a Psychologically Safe Workplace,” a Harvard Business School professor tells stories about “workplace silence when voice was necessary” to illustrate how
c Model being comfortable when you don’t have the answer. If a team hears their leader say things like “I’m not sure what to do about . . .” and sees them ask for help, the team will be more likely to believe it’s okay for them to be unsure and ask for support, too. Team Work c Encourage each other to try new things and practice giving each other posi- tive feedback even when a new idea doesn’t work. Acknowledge that the process is just as important as the outcome. c Ask authentic questions about new ideas before or instead of pointing out why they might not work. c Build the habit (perhaps at staff meetings) of thanking each other for support. This normalizes the concept that none of you is an island.
critical it is for employees to feel like it’s okay to sound like an outsider.
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PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY SELF-TALK If I make a mistake on our team, I feel protected from criticism and backlash.
4 EXTENSION FOUNDATION/NTAE | HEALTHY TEAMS HANDBOOK
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