A Psychologically Safe Workplace

“Safe space” has been a buzzword for quite a few years now, and with good reason. In a volatile and divided political climate, with the lines between social lives and work lives blurring more than ever, employees are looking to work with organizations whose values align with their own. Part of aligning values (even if there is a great diversity in opinion), is to create an environment where employees are encouraged to discuss controversial topics in a supportive setting. The more opportunities employees have to understand each others’ points of views, the more open and accepting the workplace will be.

A recent article from Tom Barry in Chief Executive Magazine outlines the whys and hows of employees’ desires to work in a safe environment. In addition, he goes on to list the simple steps one can take to get any organization on the right track. Take five minutes to check out the article, and see how well an open dialogue can help foster a culture of trust and acceptance.

The Leader and The Spiral

We’ve all been in group situations when it’s uncomfortable to speak up about one’s opinion.  Much of this is due to group dynamics (i.e. being separated from a group we value, the perceived risk of losing a job or other forms of risk).  A recap of research on this phenomenon suggest that “The only time someone will feel safe to voice a divergent opinion is if they think the group will share it or be accepting of divergence, or if they view the consequences of rejection as low.” But this biological drive doesn’t just dictate how individuals behave—it ends up shaping communities.   It’s almost impossible for us to step outside of that need for acceptance. Scientists call it the “Spiral of Silence.” 

Teamwork in all its forms requires a willingness and ability for team members to share thoughts, opinions and abilities.  The job of a C-suite a leader is to make doing so a safe experience, even if it’s not always a comfortable one.  Unless you can recognize the Spiral of Silence and its implications,  your effectiveness as a leader will be less than it could be, and needs to be.  The short article linked above is enlightening on the nature and implications of the Spiral, an aspect of leadership you didn’t even know was missing… or have been avoiding.