The Scary Side of Psychological Safety

INTRODUCTION

We all want psychological safety, don’t we? Logically we know (and the research confirms) that groups with norms that allow all members to contribute frankly and openly without repercussions or retaliation perform more effectively and efficiently. Psychological safety also benefits individuals in obvious ways, inviting people to share their perspectives and ideas – to be heard at work in ways that are meaningful.

So why are many leaders either unconvinced of the importance or unskilled at achieving psychological safety in their work groups? Well, if you’re a leader, there may be good reasons to be nervous about this. Here are six reasons why leaders might find psychological safety scary:

SIX REASONS LEADERS MIGHT FIND PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY SCARY

1. It might lead to the appearance of loss of control. Since leaders are often evaluated by their apparent maintenance of control, anything else might seem risky.
2. The conversations will likely surface issues leaders don’t want to talk about, such as issues with work environments, interpersonal relationships, diversity and inclusion, budget priorities and allocations. These might be topics leaders are trained to see as diversions, “These are not central to our business and/or this conversation.”
3. Some of the issues that might come up will have no solution, or no solution that leaders can implement. Leaders who seem themselves as “problem-solvers” may not know what to do with unsolvable problems.
4. People might pose questions or bring up issues about past decisions, their own or others’, that can make a leader feel like a target, responsible for a history and/or patterns that they might not have been part of.
5. Conversations bring up emotions. People might cry or get angry. A leader might feel insecure about how to address emotional group members, or insecure about how to regulate their own anger, frustration and/or sadness.
6. The result of a conversation or effort to increase psychological safety likely won’t feel concrete. It might not look like an outcome we identify with “leadership.” Positive results might take time to accrue, only if this kind of safe conversation becomes the new normal.

These fears can cause leaders to behave in inconsistent ways across time and topic.  Some conversations or settings feel “safe,” while others are anything but. If an open discussion is unchallenging, it might be acceptable to a leader, but raising difficult or challenging topics might not be acceptable. When inconsistencies exist, they show that the espoused safety is a mirage, and wise employees are not fooled.

WHAT LEADERS CAN DO

Leaders might start by acknowledging their own emotions and fears (perhaps only to themselves). Seeding and nourishing psychological safety is difficult work, but it might be one of the most important things a leader can do for the long-term health of the organization. (And no one else can do it.)

After coming to terms with their own emotional reactions, we suggest leaders come up with “rules of engagement” for open conversations that they believe in. If leaders need input into what those rules of engagement might be, they could invite employees to help brainstorm them and/or ask for help from human resources.  Consider them as something that evolves as the group learns.  The rules are always subject to revision and addition.

These rules might include: What conversations do we hope to have here?  What kinds of things are out of bounds and/or not germane to the outcome?  Articulate the norms and boundaries before the conversation begins, then stick to them even if the resulting conversation becomes difficult or uncomfortable.  Those moments are when we walk the talk of psychological safety.

UPCOMING FREE PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY WEBINAR

For more information about psychological safety, register here for our free webinar, happening 11:30 a.m. – Noon CT on Feb. 15.