If you’ve ever been involved, directly or indirectly, in a digital transformation, you’ll agree it’s a landscape infused with uncertainty, complexity, and interdependence. One element stands out as essential to successfully navigating this environment – Psychological Safety.
Psychological Safety is the belief that no one will be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes.
For leaders of a digital transformation (or business modernization), the challenge is clear: striking the balance between psychological safety and accountability. The tension lies in creating an atmosphere where individuals are free to innovate and share their thoughts, while simultaneously instilling a sense of responsibility to meet high standards and pursue challenging goals.
Here's what happens if you over/under rotate on either of these two elements (psych safety & accountability):
The right balance lands you in the learning zone, which is where we find high performing teams and organizations.
For more on this, see Amy Edmonson's work on Psychological Safety. References at the end of this blog entry.
So what can you do? Whether you're assessing your organization's readiness for the next phase of digitization or knee-deep in the throes of transformation, prioritizing both psychological safety and accountability is paramount.
Here's how:
1. Assess
Delve into the fabric of your organizational culture. Are individuals comfortable expressing their ideas, asking questions, or admitting mistakes?
Here's a fairly simple "temperature check" exercise.
2. Prioritize
Periodically check in with your team. Do they feel secure in sharing their perspectives? An open and accepting environment not only fuels learning and innovation but also lays the foundation for a culture of continuous improvement. Consider implementing mechanisms that actively encourage and reward such behaviors.
3. Model the behavior
We can't expect employees to adopt the behaviors we as leaders fail to demonstrate. Whether you want to increase psychological safety and/or accountability to deliver, you yourself have to demonstrate this. Don't assume it's obvious or they don't notice the gaps.
Do a gut check: When was the last time you were honest about a mistake? You voiced an idea? You said something controversial?
4. Strike the balance
As a transformation leader, you're managing the tension between psychological safety and accountability; a tension that can turn to friction if left unmanaged. Establish clear expectations regarding performance standards and goals while simultaneously creating an atmosphere where individuals feel empowered to contribute without fear of judgment.
How?
Encourage a culture of learning from mistakes rather than penalizing them.
Emphasize that the path to innovation is often riddled with challenges;
Again, model the behavior
For those of you already entrenched in a digital transformation, it's never too late to assess and address psychological safety. Friction and roadblocks within the transformation process may be symptomatic of a lack of psychological safety. Are team members hesitant to voice concerns or suggest alternative approaches? Is there a palpable fear of repercussions for admitting mistakes?
A proactive approach involves:
Regular check-ins with teams
Fostering open communication channels
Actively seeking feedback.
Leaders must be attuned to the pulse of their organization, identifying any signs of psychological unease and taking swift action to rectify it. Prioritizing psychological safety alongside accountability is not just a leadership strategy; it's a fundamental prerequisite for thriving in the ever-changing landscape.
For more of my views on this topic, here's a video on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected psychological safety: Youtube Video
References
Edmonson, Amy. The Competitive Imperative of Learning, Harvard Business Review, 2008.
Edmonson, Amy. The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth, Harvard Business School, 2019.
Edmonson, Amy. Building a Psychologically Safe Workplace, Ted Talk, 2012.
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