8 Leading Indicators of Psychological Safety
What is Psychological Safety?
Psychological Safety is a concept in organisational psychology that refers to a shared belief held by team members that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking, meaning that individuals feel comfortable speaking up, asking questions, and sharing ideas, even if their opinions might be unpopular or unconventional.
What are the 8 leading indicators of Psychological Safety?
1. Trust:
Members trust each other and the leader and believe they have each other's best interests at heart.
2. Open Communication:
Members feel comfortable expressing their opinions and ideas and actively listen to each other.
3. Inclusiveness:
The diverse team actively seeks different perspectives, fostering a sense of belonging for all members.
4. Supportiveness:
Members are supportive of one another and willing to help each other.
5. Confidence:
Members have confidence in their abilities and the abilities of their teammates.
6. Responsibility:
Members take responsibility for their actions and are willing to apologise when necessary.
7. Respect:
Members treat each other respectfully and with dignity, even in disagreement.
8. Transparency:
Information is shared openly and honestly, fostering a sense of transparency, trust and accountability. Note: transparency sometimes lets people know that certain information cannot be shared at that time - hiding Vs acknowledging.
Psychological Safety is essential to creating a positive and productive work environment.
It is important to actively foster an environment that encourages open communication, risk-taking, and constructive feedback. By doing so, leaders can create a workplace culture where employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute to the organisation's success.
By fostering these eight indicators, organisations can create a work environment where Psychological Safety is integrated into daily operations, leading to improved collaboration, innovation, and overall job satisfaction.
Addressing Psychological Safety hazards
What steps can you take if you observe a Psychological Safety hazard? i.e. a person’s state versus a risk with equipment.
Some tips when considering Psychological Health and Safety:
For leaders and managers:
- Be conscious of the environment you create and support as a leader.
- Consider how your unconscious biases may add to or detract from a psychologically healthy and safe environment.
- Check your internal response to Mental Health, and consider how this impacts yourself and your team.
- Monitor the culture to understand if people are comfortable speaking up about positive and challenging psychosocial topics in your team and organisation.
For team members:
- How comfortable are you discussing Mental Health concerns in your working environment?
- How confident do you feel in giving feedback to management about Psychological Health and Safety risks?
Looking to speak to a 4 Stages of Psychological Safety certified practitioner?
We can take your teams through the 4 Stages of Psychological Safety.
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Who We Work With
Why work with the Safety Collaborations Team
We are passionate about helping people change the way they think about Safety. Embracing fruitful collaboration is how we support your culture of safety, driving your business and people's success.
We offer award-winning virtual and in-person programmes with exceptional coaches that make your workforce safer, which means a strong return on investment, decreased incidents and reduced costs.
The legacy we leave behind is people doing the right thing and having the right conversations around safety, meeting team goals and enhancing team success.
We have over 30 years of experience across industries and geographic locations, dedicated to providing cost-effective solutions for the businesses we work with.
We deliver safety programmes across the globe both virtually and onsite/in person.
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And discover how we can work together to improve your Psychological Safety.
