What is Psychological Safety?
Psychological safety is the biggest predictor of team and organisational success
Psychological Safety allows people to speak up without the fear of being punished or humiliated. It encourages courageous debate and challenge which unlocks creativity and innovation.
We help clients to assess and review, plan and implement and improve psychological safety in their workplaces.
An environment of rewarded vulnerability.
Where you have Psychological Safety, you have high performing & inclusive cultures.
Acts of Vulnerability
Asking a question
Admitting a mistake
Disagreeing
Saying “I don’t know”
Sharing an alternate point of view
Sharing something personal
Challenging the status quo
Giving feedback
Sharing your emotions
Sharing an idea
Asking for help
Doing something you’re not good at
Saying no
"The crises of 2020 exposed our weaknesses in preparation and commitment to address the mental and emotional health of employees, but they are also serving as an accelerator to transform workplaces into sanctuaries of psychological safety."
Dr Timothy Clarke , Forbes, Feb 2021
The Accelerating Transformation of Employee Mental Health & Safety
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the need for employers to take more action to support the mental health and psychological safety of their employees, and to consider how to reduce workplace stress and psychosocial risks. The international standard (ISO 45003) published in June 2021 supports this need to address mental and emotional safety: “Occupational health and safety management—Psychological health and safety at work: managing psychosocial risks”
Psychosocial risk refers to intangible hazards in a workplace that have the potential to cause mental, emotional, or psychological harm. We’re talking about things such as excessive work hours and workloads, poor leadership and culture, bullying, harassment, role clarity, involvement in decisions, and lack of support. It had become the norm to accept entrenched behaviours and practices in the workplace, but these have taken their toll on mental and emotional health.
These are strong moral and social drivers for change. In addition, technology, globalization, global health crises, and other factors have increased turbulence in markets. Organisations need to respond and they need to figure out how to adapt and stay competitive.
What Psychological Safety Isn't.
• Psychological Safety isn’t about being nice
• It’s not about being politically correct
• It’s not about coddling people who want to play victim
• It’s not about absolving ourselves of accountability in pursuit
of not hurting feelings
• It’s not about being soft, permissive, and indulgent
• It’s not about avoiding healthy conflict and challenge
“Mental health and employers Refreshing the case for investment” Deloitte, Jan 2020
Poor mental health costs UK employers up to £45bn each year
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What we offer
Creating a Psychologically Safe Environment
High Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety. If building diverse, innovative, and loyal teams is a priority, psychological safety needs to be your new managerial obsession.
Humans yearn for inclusion and belonging. They want to learn, they want to contribute, and they want to make a difference. The LeaderFactor™ 4 Stages of Psychological Safety™ is the roadmap for individuals and organizations to achieve and maintain high levels of psychological safety.
LeaderFactor™ 4 Stages of Psychological Safety™
Align your team around a common language and set of principles that turn theory into concrete behaviours. 90-minute live-virtual session led by Nicki Eyre, Accredited LeaderFactor Coach and Trainer.
Assess your team's current level of psychological safety using The 4 Stages™ Team Survey. The survey will provide you with both actionable qualitative and quantitative
data on your team. Survey results are
organized to help you prepare your
team's action plan.
Create & Implement the Team Action Plan with Your Results. This session focuses on managers. After all, teams don’t outperform their leaders. They reflect them. Using your team survey results, you’ll create a personalized action plan for working on each of the 4 Stages. Then you’ll select from recommended behaviours based on each stage. It’s time to create culture by design, not by default. This Action planning session for all people-leaders is led by an accredited LeaderFactor Coach and Trainer.
Put the Plan into practice. Use the Behavioural Guide providing 120+ essential behaviours to help improve psychological safety.
Accelerate progress using additional tools including the 4 Stages™ Online Course; internal communications campaigns; coaching and sharing successes and challenges. Support can be provided by your Accredited LeaderFactor Coach and Trainer
Resurvey, Track Your Teams Progress, and Repeat.
After completing your personalized team action plan, your team will again be sent the 4 Stages™ Survey. You’ll find areas of improvement and some items that still need work. Psychological Safety is perishable. It requires constant effort to build and maintain high levels of psychological safety on your teams.
