Safety

Signals of connection generates bonds of belonging and identity 

As someone who often has an inner dialogue looking for context clues for acceptance and approval, my life has been profoundly impacted by spaces where I can show up and experience psychological safety. During Orgl 550: Team Building, I distinctly remember sharing with classmates that because of the psychologically safe environment we created, I felt like I had more space in my brain to be innovative, connective, and collaborative. When we can collectively create an environment where others feel accepted to show up fully and share candidly, we can unlock not only an individual’s performance, but collective performance as well.

Amy Edmondson (2019) writes in The Fearless Organization, “In a psychologically safe workplace, people are not hindered by interpersonal fear. They feel willing and able to take the inherent interpersonal risks of candor. They fear holding back their participation more than they fear sharing a potentially sensitive, threatening, or wrong idea. The fearless organization is one in which interpersonal fear is minimized so that team and organizational performance can be maximized” (p. xv). Coyle (2018) describes the “belonging cues” that lay the foundation for psychological safety which include behaviors like proximity, eye contact, energy, mimicry, turn-taking, attention, body language, vocal pitch, consistency of emphasis, and whether everyone talks to everyone else in the group. When demonstrated consistently over time, these cues “notify our ever-vigilant brains that they can stop worrying about dangers and shift into connection mode” (Coyle, 2018, p. 10-11).

Belonging is a critical component of effective organizational change and transformation. In Community: The Structure of Belonging, Block (2018) describes how belonging lays the foundation for change within communities and organizations. When individuals feel like they belong, they are willing to “own up to their contribution or agency in the current conditions, to be humble, to choose accountability, and to have faith in their own capacity to make authentic promises to create the alternative future” (p. 50). When individuals feel like co-creators (rather than passive receivers), the change is more effective and attitudes toward it are more positive (Weakland, 2001).

Coyle (2018) writes there are three questions are brains are constantly seeking to answer: “Am I safe here? What’s our future with these people? Are there dangers lurking?” (p. 11). Through this project, we sought to ground participants in exercises that reinforce psychological safety and a sense of belonging throughout experiences that answer these questions. We developed safety through the physical space, through practices of mutual sharing, and through identifying the unique contributions each individual brings to the team.

Vulnerability

Habits of mutual risk drive trusting cooperation

In Dare to Lead, Brene Brown (2018) writes, “Vulnerability is the emotion that we experience during times of uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure” (p. 23). In a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world, vulnerability is not a choice but rather a reality of our existence. We do have agency, however, over what we do with vulnerability. Leaders can unlock performance by leveraging vulnerability - by filling gaps, attending to needs of the individual, and modeling the way.

The adage “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” is especially true when it comes to teams. The ability to create an environment where team members can identify gaps, ask for help, and rely on the strengths of others is critical for team performance. Vulnerability is a critical foundation for trust and cooperation. Brown (2018) writes, “Trust is the stacking and layering of small moments and reciprocal vulnerability over time” (p. 34). Edmondson’s (2019) research is grounded in numerous studies that reinforce the most successful teams are not those who make fewer mistakes, but those who openly discuss failure and find a way forward.

Brown (2018) continues, “Leaders must either invest a reasonable amount of time attending to fears and feelings, or squander an unreasonable amount of time trying to manage ineffective and unproductive behavior” (p. 67). If leaders do not create an environment where their team members feel safe to express their emotions, they may have to spend a lot of time dealing with conflicts, mistrust, and low morale, which can ultimately harm the team's productivity and effectiveness. By investing in creating a safe space where emotions can be shared and addressed, leaders avoid having to deal with negative behaviors caused by fear and unease and instead focus on moving forward productively.

Finally, leaders must model vulnerability. The behaviors and emotions of leaders are contagious to others - and a demonstration of vulnerability by leaders can reinforce that it is not only just acceptable but necessary for effective teaming. When leaders not only say that it is safe to be vulnerable, but demonstrate it through modeling by where they spend their time, what they pay attention to, the language they use, the way they handle critical incidents, and their openness to feedback - this “behavioral integrity” and congruence leads to increased trust in the leader and positively impacts performance (Kouzes and Posner, 2017, p. 74-75).

Through this project, we sought to create opportunities for team members to share vulnerably about the emotions they have carried throughout the year so far. Additionally, our senior leaders modeled vulnerability in sharing openly about their own experiences.