Psychological safety: The key to well-being and innovation in the workplace

Psychological security is a fundamental building block in every healthy and sustainable work environment. But what does it really mean and why is it so important? Here we explore the concept, what advantages it has and how leadership plays a central role in creating a safe workplace. To help us, we have Lotta Lundström, Product Owner at Hailey and strong advocate for psychological safety.

What is psychological safety?

When psychological safety exists in a workplace, it means that employees feel safe to ask questions, express concerns, make mistakes, and come up with ideas without fear of negative consequences. Amy Edmondson, who coined the term, describes it as an environment where you are not scolded or humiliated for expressing yourself and sharing your perspective.

"The word 'perspective' is strong and neutral, making it useful for easing discussions. 'Opinions' can seem more rigid and less open to finding common ground, while 'perspectives' suggest a helpful contribution to the conversation and a willingness to find solutions together," says Lotta Lundström.

Benefits for well-being

Having a psychologically safe work environment has many benefits, especially for employee well-being. And as we all know, the well-being of employees has a strong impact on the well-being of the company at large.

• Increased participation: All perspectives are considered, leading to better decisions.
• Reduced stress: When you are not afraid to speak up, you feel less mental pressure.
• Increased innovation: A safe environment encourages creativity and new ideas.

"For everyone to dare to share their perspectives, there must simply be psychological security, and those are the perspectives we really want," explains Lotta.

The role of leadership

Leaders have a great responsibility in promoting psychological security. It's not just about being a good example, but also about actually creating a culture where every individual feels valued. It can be done in several ways.

• Show openness: As a leader, you must actively show that questions and ideas are welcome.
• Create a forgiving environment: Allow mistakes and learn from them.
• Encourage feedback: Regular feedback helps build and maintain confidence.

"Managers and leaders have a greater responsibility to show their team that this is how we want to work. Of course, you yourself have to show the way by asking questions, sharing mistakes and weaknesses, and giving feedback. But it is equally important to react in a encouraging way when others do it. My best tip is to always respond to questions, ideas and concerns with an initial 'thank you,'" says Lotta.

How does psychological security work in practice?

Implementing psychological safety is an ongoing process that requires the commitment of the entire team.

• Training and awareness: To increase psychological safety, everyone in the team should be trained and become aware of the concept's importance.
• Feel free to measure: Amy Edmonson has developed 7 questions that you can use to measure the psychological safety of a team. Measure continuously and work with the pieces that get slightly lower results.
• Practical elements: Introduce feedback processes.

At Hailey, for example, the development teams have a fixed routine where every third demo Friday they have a "retro", where everyone gets together and gives feedback on the sprint that has been - both positive and negative.

"It's a very important part to practice communicating about things you didn't think worked so well," says Lotta. "But also to lift each other up and raise positive events."

Psychological security is a joint effort

Psychological safety is not only a leadership issue but a joint effort from the entire team. When everyone feels safe enough to express themselves, the workplace is not only more pleasant, but also more productive. Each member has the opportunity to positively influence the work environment.

"There are people who say that it is strictly a leadership issue, and I agree that the leaders have a greater responsibility than the employees. But the employees have the opportunity to influence the psychological safety in their surroundings, which I think is a strength for psychological safety. Everyone has the opportunity to influence!” Lotta continues.

Psychological security is a fundamental factor for a successful and sustainable work environment. By working actively with psychological security, you create a workplace where everyone feels heard and valued. This not only leads to a better working climate, but also to higher productivity and well-being in the long term. But it requires effort.

"You don't attend a training course, tell your colleagues what you've learned and then you've automatically established psychological security. You need to work on it continuously," concludes Lotta.