12 Ways to Increase Psychological Safety in Organizations

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Updated: July 26, 2022

Recruitment of Engineers

12 Ways to Increase Psychological Safety in an Organization｜How to Create an Environment that Maximizes

What is psychological safety?

Psychological safety is the Japanese translation of "Psychological Safety.

It means a state in which you can be your natural self without being frightened or embarrassed by the reactions of others. In other words, it expresses the ability to be oneself without feeling anxious about the reactions of others. This term is treated as one of the psychological terms.

Definition of Psychological Safety

The concept of psychological safety was proposed by Amy Edmondson in 1999. Edmondson is a professor at Harvard University, where she conducts research in organizational behavior. The definition of psychological safety is provided by Ms. Edmondson, the proponent of the concept.

It is as follows. It is "a shared belief among team members that they are in a safe place to take interpersonal risks" with "the confidence that they will not be shamed, rejected, or punished for speaking up in the presence of other team members.

In other words, an environment where people can speak up without fear of being rejected, offended, or humiliated by someone on the team is a high level of psychological safety. Also, as an interpersonal environment (work environment), when everyone on the team is aware that it is a place free from unjustified events, it is also a safe environment.

Why is psychological safety in the spotlight now?

The reason why psychological safety is getting so much attention is due to an announcement made by Google, Inc. in 2012, which implemented Project Aristotle over a period of about four years. This is a major labor reform project to find the conditions for an effective team structure.

The results of the four years of Project Aristotle implementation have been interesting for many companies. It is to the effect that psychological safety is an important factor in improving team productivity. With the reporting of these results, companies around the world became aware of the existence and importance of psychological safety.

How engineers can measure their company's psychological safety

Edmondson also proposes a method for measuring the degree of psychological safety. It involves asking seven questions and checking for signs that members of the company are exhibiting. Let's start with the seven questions.

In the seven questions, questions are asked of members about seven items and whether or not they feel they strongly apply to them. The items to be asked are as follows

1. When I make a mistake in a team, I am usually blamed.

2. Team members can point out issues and difficult problems to each other.

3. Team members may reject others because they are different from themselves.

4. It is safe to act in a risky manner toward the team.

5. It is difficult to ask for help from other team members.

6. All team members do not intentionally undermine their own work.

7. I feel that my skills and talents are respected and utilized when working with team members.

Of the above, the lower the degree of 1, 3, and 5 and the higher the degree of the others, the higher the psychological safety. Although you can set aside time to ask questions, you can also predict the psychological safety of your subordinates, employees, and other team members by asking them the seven questions in interviews and in everyday conversations.

Next to the seven questions, you can check for signs of psychological safety. Check to see if members are exhibiting signs of high psychological safety. Members and workplaces that maintain a high level of psychological safety will exhibit the following signs

Team members are saying things such as "members respect each other," "everyone can work on something that someone feels is a concern," "everyone in the group is responsible for the project," and "there is no need to pretend to be something you are not at work.

Members talk about failures and problems as well as successes.

I feel that the workplace encourages humor and smiles.

If you see signs that all members respect the abilities and opinions of other members and feel that they can cooperate with each other without faltering, you can judge that psychological safety is high. These signs can be seen in everyday scenes and can also be obtained from the 7 questions and conversations.

Six Benefits of Psychological Safety

There are about six benefits of psychological safety. They are: increased motivation and responsibility among members, maximized ability to perform to the best of their ability, reduced turnover, smoother information exchange, improved performance, and clearer overall goals. Let's review each benefit.

Advantage 1 of increasing psychological safety: Increased motivation and sense of responsibility among members

The first benefit of psychological safety is that it improves members' motivation and sense of responsibility. By recognizing and respecting each other's abilities and characteristics, a shared sense of values will take root in the workplace. In other words, they will be able to believe in their own abilities and potentials, and put forth their best effort in their work.

At the same time, they will have a greater sense of responsibility in accomplishing and being involved in their work. This will also make non-management employees more aware of the need to reform the status quo, allowing them to tackle new and difficult situations with a positive stance.

Advantage 2: Members can maximize their potential.

The second benefit of psychological safety is that it allows members to reach their full potential. In a workplace with high psychological safety, members try to say and do things to motivate others among themselves. This makes it easier for each member to reach his or her maximum potential.

Advantage 3: Reduced turnover

The third benefit of increasing psychological safety is that it leads to lower turnover. When members have a sense of mutual support, they are more likely to feel comfortable. A comfortable environment creates a sense of fulfillment and responsibility as one of the members, which tends to reduce the number of employees considering leaving the company.

Advantage 4: Smoother exchange of information within the team

The fourth benefit of increasing psychological safety is that it facilitates the exchange of information within the team. In an environment that is not full of negative reactions, it is easier to communicate opinions, ideas, and problems that you have. Communication throughout the workplace will be brighter and information sharing among members will be smoother.

Advantage 5 of Increased Psychological Safety: Increased Performance of the Entire Team

The fifth benefit of increasing psychological safety is that it improves the performance of the team as a whole. It is said that in an environment with high psychological safety, it is easier for each individual to create a flow state (a state of immersion). This means that they are able to work more intensively in a supportive and secure environment.

A highly focused flow state is said to improve performance and amplify dopamine secretion. In other words, it tends to alleviate stress better than working in an unfocused environment. Because the sense of satisfaction outweighs the sense of fatigue, it also leads to ambition and problem-solving skills.

Psychological Safety Benefit 6: Clarity of Goals for the Entire Team

The sixth benefit of psychological safety is the ability to clarify the goals of the entire team. When there is an environment in which all employees can speak freely about organizational goals, discussions that incorporate opinions from various perspectives can be realized. It is easier to clarify goals and tasks and what needs to be accomplished.

12 Ways to Increase Psychological Safety

The following are 12 effective ways to increase psychological safety. Creating an open workplace, an environment of equal voice, creating a culture that recognizes diverse opinions, and encouraging teams to help each other are all things that we feel are necessary. Let's take a look at the details of each method below.

How to enhance psychological safety #1: Aim for an open workplace

The first way to increase psychological safety is to aim for an open workplace. An open workplace is an environment where the voices of all employees are heard by all positions in the company. It is an environment where all members can exchange opinions on an equal footing, regardless of position, age, or employment status.

Most Japanese companies have a top-down organizational structure, but this structure makes it difficult for front-line employees to convey their opinions to top management. While it is not possible to suddenly change the organizational structure, it is possible to realize the exchange of opinions on an equal footing regardless of position, depending on the level of awareness.

Method 2: Create an environment where people can speak up equally

The second way to increase psychological safety is to create an environment where people can speak up equally. In companies, there is a tendency to give priority to the opinions of the best or most prominent members of the team. However, many members feel safe in an environment where they can freely express their opinions.

It is necessary to devise ways to create an environment where all members can express their opinions equally, without favoring only certain people or biased content. When you want to encourage all participants to express their opinions equally in a meeting, the round-robin method is sometimes used.

First, all participants write their opinions on sticky notes. Then, one by one, the participants read the contents of the post-it notes and post them near the participants who have the same opinions. For employees who are not used to meetings, it is also effective to prepare in advance by having a conversation or ice-breaking session before the meeting.

Method 3: Create a climate that allows for diverse opinions

The third way to increase psychological safety is to create a climate that allows for diverse opinions. In society, various opinions based on individual experience and knowledge will emerge. In a team, it is important not only to acknowledge each other's existence, but also to be aware of the other person's opinions and the reasons why they arise.

By acknowledging the diversity of opinions, there is a greater understanding and respect for each other's individual differences. This will help us to cooperate with others in utilizing their abilities without denying their differences, and to help them solve problems without blaming or excluding them when they make mistakes.

How to Increase Psychological Safety #4: Encourage mutual help within the team

The fourth way to increase psychological safety is to encourage mutual help within the team. While encouraging competition among team members may lead to individual growth, there are also times when it is better to encourage mutual help so that performance does not suffer due to anxiety or the need to ask for help with something one does not understand.

In corporate work, situations may arise that cannot be resolved by one person, and it is better to go about one's work with the peace of mind of knowing that help is available when one needs it.

In other words, helping each other is more likely to lead to better results. Encourage a sense of security that you are a team.

How to Increase Psychological Safety #5: Create a Positive Atmosphere

The fifth way to increase psychological safety is to create an atmosphere of positive thinking. When failures or problems occur, negative reactions can hinder the willingness to solve them. When a problem arises, a solution is required, so it is important to create an atmosphere where people are motivated to work on it.

The only way to create an atmosphere in which people can think positively is to change the way they think and talk. It is important to have a positive mindset and a broad perspective, not being obsessed with the current results of failures, difficulties, or problems, but rather thinking about why they happened and what can be done to solve or improve them.

Method 6: Create an atmosphere where members can chat with each other.

The sixth way to increase psychological safety is to create an atmosphere where members can chat with each other. A certain amount of tension in the workplace is necessary to keep one's composure. However, many people become mentally deflated and suppress themselves if the tense atmosphere continues in the workplace.

Both a relaxed state of mind and a moderate sense of tension are necessary to demonstrate one's abilities. To avoid tension, create an atmosphere and time for members to chat with each other during pre-meeting conversations and break times. When you are aware of reactions, it will make it easier for everyone to talk.

How to Increase Psychological Safety #7: Supervisors Respect Subordinates' Ideas

The seventh way to increase psychological safety is for supervisors to respect their subordinates' ideas. As a supervisor who organizes subordinates, it is necessary for the supervisor to be conscious of respecting the existence, opinions, and abilities of each individual. They must recognize the diversity of values and move to offer advice and support rather than only negative reactions.

Supervisors and subordinates are the same employees in a company, so they have no right to pressure those below them just because they are in a higher position. As a leader, the role of the supervisor is to recognize the presence of each individual and to manage the work-related conditions of the subordinate. The atmosphere of hierarchical relationships is one of the most important ways to increase psychological safety.

How to Increase Psychological Safety #8: Create a support system that helps newcomers feel comfortable.

The eighth way to increase psychological safety is to create a supportive environment in which newcomers feel comfortable. It is said that many newcomers to an already established environment are anxious about whether they will fit in. In fact, ease of acclimation has a lot to do with the support system of the entire team.

Because of the new environment, it can be assumed that many questions and concerns will arise. However, some people are unable to ask questions for fear of being excluded because they are new or being hit too hard. Let's care about newcomers so that they can fully demonstrate their abilities in a comfortable state, and let them grow into individuals who can contribute to the company and team with a cheerful mindset.

How to Increase Psychological Safety #9: Conduct 1-on-1 Meetings

The ninth way to increase psychological safety is to hold 1-on-1 meetings. Each team member has different goals and different desired results, and having a one-on-one dialogue will make it easier to understand the inner workings of each individual.

It is also a good opportunity for supervisors and top management to exchange opinions with their subordinates. The larger the number of employees in a company, the more difficult it will be for some employees to get involved due to their distant positions or departments. Therefore, there is a great deal to be gained by systematically conducting 1-on-1 meetings.

How to Increase Psychological Safety #10: Introduce OKRs

The 10th way to improve psychological safety is to introduce OKRs, a management method that aims to manage goals through proactive work, and is said to be particularly effective in improving psychological safety among other methods.

Objectives for the entire organization are set first, and then key results for achieving the objectives are set under the objectives. This method was first adopted by Intel Corporation, and has since been adopted by Google and other major companies.

Method 11: Change the evaluation method

The 11th way to increase psychological safety is to change the evaluation method. Conventional individual evaluations often create a psychological state in which mistakes are fatal, people are jealous of the success of others, and people underestimate their own abilities more than necessary, making it difficult to start work with a sense of security.

It is recommended that evaluations be conducted on a team or project basis rather than on an individual basis, and that regular one-on-one evaluations and reviews (no-rating) be conducted instead of ranking. This allows for equal evaluation and discussion for future improvement, which helps foster a positive attitude.

How to Increase Psychological Safety #12: Change the Team Structure

The 12th way to increase psychological safety is to change the team structure. If the previous methods do not result in a favorable psychological safety situation, review the compatibility of the team members. Since this is a problem of a people-to-people nature, it may be improved by changing the combination of the two.

Four negative effects of lack of psychological safety

The harm caused by a lack of psychological safety extends to both individuals and companies. For example, it can lead to anxiety among members, members not being able to perform to their full potential, trust not being built, and team performance not improving. Below is an overview of each of these negative effects.

Harm 1: Insufficient psychological safety leads to member anxiety

The first negative effect of a lack of psychological safety is that it can lead to anxiety among team members. In an environment with insufficient psychological safety, members fear that their opinions will be denied or their abilities will be suppressed, and they also feel anxious about giving negative impressions by expressing their opinions or making suggestions.

Many of us are aware of the fact that anxiety is not good. And you have probably felt it yourself as an example, not only because of your personal nature, but also because of the reactions of those around you that are a factor. Of course, the work environment can also cause self-control that is detrimental to the company.

Harmful Effects of Lack of Psychological Safety 2: Members are unable to reach their true potential.

The second negative effect of inadequate psychological safety is that members are not able to demonstrate their true potential. Anxiety about the reactions of others can limit their actions, thus undermining their spontaneity. They become unmotivated to do things that could be done, and they are less willing to work on tasks.

The more time and experience one has on the job, the more knowledge one gains, which usually leads to new and forward thinking ideas and innovations. However, in an environment where there is a lack of psychological safety, people are unable to express their thoughts, and therefore, they suppress their own thinking and are unable to exert their power.

Harm 3: Inability to build trust

The third negative effect of lack of psychological safety is the inability to build trusting relationships. The main cause of the inability to be natural is the constant denial of oneself. In an environment lacking psychological safety, even a simple question or a few opinions are often denied and not listened to.

In such a situation, the denied will not open up. They will not be able to ask for advice, and productivity will decline as communication decreases. In particular, in many cases, supervisors do not listen to the opinions of their subordinates, resulting in a lack of trust that leads to operational efficiency and corporate profits.

Harm 4: Team performance does not improve due to lack of psychological safety

The fourth negative effect of a lack of psychological safety is a lack of team performance. In an environment where people feel insecure about the reactions of others, they are unable to perform to their full potential. In an environment where psychological safety is lacking, multiple members are anxious, which can lead to a decline in the team's overall performance.

In addition, the anxiety of being strongly blamed for failures can easily lead to low motivation and a tendency to try to avoid responsibility. Fear of being blamed can lead to a state of not reporting mistakes or problems, or not admitting mistakes.

An environment that respects each individual and allows for discussion of mistakes is necessary.

Let's create an organization that is easy to work in, one with high psychological safety!

In a workplace with a high level of psychological safety, employees are more likely to demonstrate their abilities and are more willing to help others. This will help improve the performance and growth of the team as a whole, and produce results that benefit the entire organization.

Let's implement methods to increase psychological safety and be conscious of creating an organization that is easy to work in.