What should a company do so that its collaborators are productive, committed and creative?, that despite receiving attractive job offers, they decide to stay where they are? The key is in the work environment, one that transmits confidence and security at a work and personal level.
This is known as a fearless organization; that allows people to feel safe in their way of being, of sharing their ideas, expressing emotions or problems, as well as when criticizing, which not only gives welfare, but also helps the company to growconsiders Amy Edmondson, author of the book “The organization without fear, psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation and growth”.
“Psychological safety is broadly defined as an environment in which people feel comfortable expressing themselves and being themselves,” he says in his book.
He explains that when a company creates a healthy environment, get better ideas, take more risks, they improve their learning and make fewer mistakes and are happier; The problem is that few do.
An example of a success story is Google, which after evaluating 180 teams, found that high-performing teams had a purpose, were reliable co-workers with clear goals, and were the ones with the greatest psychological security in their organization. Even though they made more mistakes, They were the most productive.
“They didn’t really make any more mistakes, they just reported them and talked about them more. This fuels continuous improvement,” describes Edmondson.
fear does not drive
“Instill fear to achieve results” is a phrase that for years permeated the minds of bosses and people in general, since it was considered that intimidation was what prompted them to act quickly and effectively; however, this is currently no longer considered.
Although it is true that fear forces us to act in a situation of risk or alertness, at work it is not useful because drown security, it damages thinking and learning, and forces employees to achieve goals by any means. Also, it keeps people quiet despite having important ideas or opinions.
“People err on the side of caution at work that routinely squelches great ideas, not just bad news.”
The keys
To achieve psychological safety in the work environmentwork must be done at all levels of the organization, always involving managers.
The process begins by investigating the perception of security and level that the company has, followed by detecting the weak points and preparing the environment. To this will be added working in active listening, not reprimanding before failures but educate and invite people to participate to eliminate fear.
“As a leader, show humility and communicate your need to know and your vulnerability, this invites sharing. It builds employee confidence and taps into collective intelligence, thoughts and insights.”
