9 Ways to Create Psychological Safety in Your Organisation

Team members work harder, perform better, and are more creative when they feel able to speak up, raise concerns, or disagree. This is called psychological safety, a term we’ve explored on the blog in the past, and Thrive’s ERIN LLOYD ROTICH helps leaders work to create psychological safety in their teams and organisations – and below she shares some tips on how to do it.

Ask yourself, “Does everyone have a voice?” . There is not always a consensus on how to define psychological safety, or how best to cultivate it. But I think it can be best understood from the perspective of this question.

Assume there is a good reason for the bad behaviour. If your team members are late all week, you may want to accuse them of being unpunctual or lazy. However, if you assume that there is a good reason for their tardiness and question them on that basis, then you can help build more psychological safety and still deal effectively with the issue at hand.

Slow down. If you’re going at a fast pace, you’re less likely to be curious about others and more likely to jump to unfair conclusions about them. If you find yourself jumping to conclusions, it’s time to slow down.

Admit your weaknesses. It takes courage, especially in organisations. But if you admit your weaknesses, if you apologise when you make mistakes, if you share some personal stories from time to time, then this can help others to do the same. Then they can relax, build better working relationships and become more creative.

Remember, actions speak louder than words. The worst thing you can do as a leader is to say you will do something but not back it up with action. For example, if you say you’ll make the pay structure fair, but don’t stick to it, then you’ll lose people’s trust and psychological security.

Start small. If your work environment isn’t safe, it’s best to start small. Try sharing some personal tidbits at lunchtime. Or try hosting an event where people share one thing they got wrong and then celebrate. The first step is the hardest.

Respect boundaries. Showing vulnerability at work doesn’t mean giving away everything about yourself. Ask yourself if what you are sharing is helping to develop connections and relationships that will move your work forward. The workplace is not the place to offer advice on how to solve your problems!

It’s a journey, not a destination. You don’t create mental safety, celebrate and move on. It has to be an ongoing change.

Look for ways to make vulnerability part of the work rhythm. Is there a set time for people to talk about personal things? Is there space for people to talk about mistakes they’ve made? Are there regular opportunities for people to express dissenting opinions or express views that differ from the consensus?