35. Psychological Safety

Introduction

Humans are social creatures that crave interaction as we have an innate need to belong.

"...the need for connection and belonging, much like the need for food, shelter and water, governs the quality of our interactions, and subsequently our relationships. These are needs that exist regardless of status, beliefs, race, gender, or religion..."
LeadFactor, 2022a

At the centre of this is psychological safety:

"... Psychological safety is a condition in which human beings feel (1) included, (2) safe to learn, (3) safe to contribute, and (4) safe to challenge the status quo - all without the fear of being embarrassed, marginalised, or punished in some way. Four stages of psychological safety are universal patterns that reflect the natural progression of human needs in social settings. When teams, organisations, and social units of all kinds progress through the four stages, they create deeply inclusive environments, accelerate learning, increase contributions, and stimulate innovation..."
Timothy Clark, 2020

"...The key to effective change management......becomes the ability to balance the amount of threat produced by disconfirming data, with enough psychological safety to allow the change target to accept the information, feel the survival anxiety, and become motivated to change. The true artistry of change management lies in the various kinds of tactics the change agents employ to create psychological safety..."
Edgar Schein as quoted by Cyrus Rebello, 2011

Need to remember that psychological safety is delicate and dynamic; it is perishable, not permanent, and requires continual attention; needs to be monitored and evaluated, measured, revisited, re-planned and continually improved.