Creating and Sustaining Psychological Safety in High Performing Teams

High performing teams need psychological safety. This means that team members believe it is safe to take interpersonal risks without fear of negative consequences such as criticism, punishments, being ignored or laughed at. When people feel accepted and respected, they bring their best selves to work. They are more likely to take risks, share new ideas, and give constructive feedback.

Creating psychological safety starts with the team leader. Leaders need to set the tone and make it clear that everyone is valued and respected. They should encourage open communication and discourage blamed-based thinking.

Sustaining psychological safety requires ongoing effort from everyone on the team. It takes time and patience to build trust and create an environment where people feel comfortable taking risks. But it is worth the effort, because high performing teams are able to achieve amazing things.

The Difference Between Psychological Safety and Trust

There is a key difference between psychological safety and trust. Psychological safety means that team members feel safe to take risks without fear of negative consequences. Trust means that team members are willing to cooperate and work together towards a common goal.

Trust is essential for any team to function effectively. Team members need to be able to rely on each other, and they need to trust that everyone is working towards the same goal. It is about how individuals treat and interact with one another.

Psychological safety is a shared belief and team norm that all team members adhere to. It allows team members to take risks and share new ideas, which can lead to innovation and creativity. Everyone in the group feels secure enough to participate.

Sustaining Psychological Safety In High Performance Teams

Encourage Risk-Taking

Allowing teams to make calculated risks is essential for their success. Risks can lead to innovation and creativity, which are essential for high performance teams. When team members feel safe to take risks, they are more likely to share new ideas and contribute to the team’s success. However, risks need to be calculated in order to avoid unnecessary mistakes.

Team leaders should encourage their team members to take risks, but also remind them that mistakes are part of the learning process. By taking risks and learning from their mistakes, team members can continue to improve their performance.

Tolerating Mistakes

When someone makes a mistake, it can be easy to get angry or criticize them. However, this can actually discourage people from taking risks and sharing new ideas. It can also damage relationships and hinder team progress.

A better approach is to focus on the mistake itself, not the person who made it. Ask what can be learned from the mistake and how you can prevent it from happening again. This is an integral part of high performance team programs. When mistakes are treated as learning opportunities, you create stronger teams and help them in developing leadership capabilities that will make them successful both now and in the future.

For high performing team development to be successful, participants need to feel safe in order to cooperate and work together effectively. Creating psychological safety is essential for building an effective high performance culture.  Leaders should set the tone and example for healthy behavior, avoid blame-based thinking, and encourage open communication. When team members are able to communicate openly, they can resolve conflicts quickly and efficiently. Sustaining a psychologically safe environment is important for high performance teams so that they can continue to take risks, learn from their mistakes, and improve their overall performance.

About the Author: The Leadership Sphere

The Leadership Sphere helps small and medium businesses and larger organisations in Australia, in creating value through leadership. The Leadership Sphere provides a humanistic approach to the way it delivers leadership, performance and coaching services. We work with leaders and senior teams who need to gain increased clarity, build capability and ensure contribution at every level in the organisation, and enable a safe, inclusive and  high trust organisation.