To feel like we can show up as our authentic selves at work, we first must have the confidence that we will be accepted and respected without judgment or fear, and that requires fostering a sense of belonging.
As diversity, equity and inclusion efforts continue to make headlines, there’s a critical element that acts as a current underneath all of the churn on the surface. If business leaders get it right, it will go a long way in building the kinds of workplaces that serve as magnets to top talent. That’s the element of psychological safety — for all, and it’s one we expect to hear more about throughout the coming year.
First introduced in 1999 by Amy Edmondson, a professor at Harvard Business School, the idea of psychological safety is a shared belief held by members of a team that it’s OK to take risk without fear of negative consequences. You can speak up, express ideas and concerns, try new projects and admit mistakes, all without fear of retribution or negative consequences. In other words, as Edmonson says, “it’s felt permission for candor.”
Edmondson first encountered the concept while doing research for her Ph.D., where she was studying the correlation between error making and teamwork in hospitals. Contrary to what she expected to find — that stronger teams made fewer mistakes — what she actually found was that teams with better teamwork seemed to make more errors.
However, the study revealed that the better-performing teams weren’t making more errors than their counterparts — they simply had a culture of openly admitting mistakes and problems which ultimately led to better outcomes. Meanwhile, the other teams were also making errors, but hid them.
The hospitality industry is very much a team sport, in which a guest’s experience depends on the strength of each person they encounter during their stay. That’s why building a culture of psychological safety for all is so incredibly important for our business. Your team members need to feel like they belong, that their voices matter and that they will be supported by both management and their fellow teammates when things don’t go as planned.
While this all makes sense on paper, creating and growing a culture of psychological safety is something that’s much easier said than done. But as leaders, there are many steps we can take to ignite the spark of a culture like this, or to course-correct and reinvigorate one that may have stalled out.
Where should you begin? Consider the following actions.
Take Stock
Do you have a culture of psychological safety? Start by asking some tough questions and be honest in your assessment. Great Place to Work offers a helpful list of red flags to consider as you determine the safety level of your organization. These include things such as projects taking too long to roll out; people being reluctant to ask questions or share ideas; a rapid rumor mill; high absenteeism or "presenteeism;" and high turnover.
Say It, Then Keep Repeating It
If you’ve ever worked in a place that is less than psychologically safe, you know firsthand that there is safety in silence, particularly if you’ve experienced speaking up and having it backfire. It’s like a hot stove — burn your hand a few times, and you’re not going to touch the burner.
If you’re starting from a place where people are afraid to express ideas and concerns, you need to declare that and help them fight the natural urge to stay silent by demonstrating how it can go well and benefit the greater team. Once you declare, keep it on repeat — cite examples early and often, and praise those who embrace this new culture.
Model Your Own Vulnerability
To encourage others to be comfortable admitting their mistakes, you need to start by modeling that behavior yourself. Share stories of how you’ve learned from mistakes in the past, and how that has benefited both you and the team. As you work through projects as a team, actively take ownership for your own missteps, big and small. Ask for feedback, and actively accept it with gratitude and respect.
Curiosity Is Your Ally
Take stock in your own approach to blame: When something goes wrong, are you quick to conduct a search for the guilty? Or do you approach it as a learning opportunity? Author and coach Laura Delizonna suggests that we “replace blame with curiosity.”
Blame and criticism lead to conflict and disengagement. Don’t approach a situation thinking you know all the facts. Instead, take on a learning mindset and talk with your team member, not at them, and look for understanding and solutions going forward together.
Building a strong workplace culture that’s agile, resilient and welcoming is a challenging task, with many different levers to think about and orchestrate. But when it comes to being inclusive, fostering a culture of team psychological safety is a key foundational component, as it naturally leads to trust, open communication and mutual respect.
If we can all make progress on this one factor, our companies and our industry will benefit and grow to new heights together.
DeShaun N. Wise Porter is Hilton’s global head of diversity, equity, inclusion and engagement.
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