Note: All these thoughts are notes I took during a super interesting discussion in an Emerging Leadership workshop I had the chance to participate in (Thanks, Automattic!); they might not be perfectly organized, so I appreciate your indulgence :).
As Wikipedia is struggling with declining page views due to AI, trying to find their way, here it is my personal thank you to what’s still a key actor on the Internet. Surveyed inter-subjectivity looks like a valid vaccine against this epidemic of made-up, not only by AI, truth.
Psychological safety is the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.[1][2] In teams, it refers to team members believing that they can take risks without being shamed by other team members.[3] In psychologically safe teams, team members feel accepted and respected contributing to a better “experience in the workplace”.[4][5][6] It is also the most studied enabling condition in group dynamics and team learning research.
So I was thinking that there is no possible psychological safety without horizontality.
horizontality?
Whats horizontality -in a group of people- for me?
- Opinions are taken into account because of their content, not because of their origin or owner.
- There is no hierarchy of voices: Teachers, leaders or managers are not “above” others; they also learn from the community. They are intentional in avoiding behaviours that mark superiority (like shouting in caps, monopolising threads, etc.).
- Anyone can contribute, start discussions, and give recognition.
To me, horizontality is a Sine Qua Non condition and driver for honest, emancipatory participation and therefore a Sine Qua Non condition for Psychological safety as it is defined in terms of -sorry for the oversimplification- feeling great contributing.
about psycological safety and productivity
And… why psycological safety is so important? Well, it apparently fosters performance…
“To understand why psychological safety promotes performance, we have to step back to reconsider the nature of so much of the work in today’s organizations. With routine, predictable, modular work on the decline, more and more of the tasks that people do require judgment, coping with uncertainty, suggesting new ideas, and coordinating and communicating with others. This means that voice is mission critical. And so, for anything but the most independent or routine work, psychological safety is intimately tied to freeing people up to pursue excellence.”
– Amy Edmonson, The Fearless Organization
Or
(About effectiveness) The researchers found that what really mattered was less about who is on the team, and more about how the team worked together. In order of importance:
- Psychological safety: A strong team culture was correlated with each member’s perception of the consequences of taking an interpersonal risk. Those on teams with strong cultures feel safe taking risks in the face of being seen as ignorant, incompetent, negative, or disruptive. In a team with high psychological safety, teammates feel safe to take risks around their team members. They feel confident that no one on the team will embarrass or punish anyone else for admitting a mistake, asking a question, or offering a new idea.
- Dependability: On dependable teams, members reliably complete quality work on time (vs the opposite – shirking responsibilities).
- Structure and clarity: An individual’s understanding of job expectations, the process for fulfilling these expectations, and the consequences of one’s performance are important for team effectiveness. Goals can be set at the individual or group level, and must be specific, challenging, and attainable. Google often uses Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) to help set and communicate short and long term goals.
- Meaning: Finding a sense of purpose in either the work itself or the output is important for team effectiveness. The meaning of work is personal and can vary: financial security, supporting family, helping the team succeed, or self-expression for each individual, for example.
- Impact: The results of one’s work, the subjective judgment that your work is making a difference, is important for teams. Seeing that one’s work is contributing to the organization’s goals can help reveal impact.
But, overall, you’re happier when you’re in a psychologically safe space. Right? And you’re happier when you’re surrounded by happy people. Right?
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