Introduction to psychological safety: A prerequisite for team learning and high performance
Watch this recording of a PowerLabs workshop to learn the actions you can take to increase psychological safety in your teams.
The workshop is an excerpt from the "We're a Nerdy Movement Study Group"—a six-week program for organizers and campaigners who want to apply evidence-based approaches to mobilizing and organizing to build high participation people-powered campaigns.
This presentation was recorded in July 2022.
Presenter
Randall Smith is the founder of PowerLabs. He specializes in helping clients use evidence-based strategies and methods for high-participation people-powered campaigns.
He is a leading expert on team effectiveness and has coached and advised senior leadership teams and member teams at Dream Defenders, Missouri Organizing and Voter Engagement Collaborative, Sunrise Movement, People’s Action and many other organizations.
Randall is certified to support teams to increase their psychological safety through the Fearless Organization External Practitioner Certification.
Learn more
Articles and videos
Building a Psychologically Safe Workplace - this is the best video introduction to psychological safety.
How Fearless Organizations Succeed - this book excerpt lists the recommended behaviors to increase psychological safety. This is the best article to share with someone as an introduction to psychological safety.
Strategies for Learning from Failure - this article has the framework of blameworthy to praiseworthy failure and appropriate responses to different types of failures.
4 Warning Signs of a Psychologically Unsafe Culture for Women of Color - this book excerpt has recommendations on how to increase psychological safety for women of color
Weaponisation of Psychological Safety - on the misuse and abuse of the concept of psychological safety
The Downside of Trying to Hold People Accountable - on goal setting, accountability and ownership, and psychological safety
Designing Powerful Teams with Ruth Wageman - this webinar recording shares the structural factors that make it more likely a team will be effective (and have psychological safety).
Books
The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth - the most popular book on psychological safety
Leading Below the Surface: How to Build Real (and Psychologically Safe) Relationships with People Who Are Different from You - this book covers more leadership topics than the previous book and has a race and gender lens
Tools
Psychological Safety Leadership Self-Assessment - Creating psychological safety requires complex interpersonal skills and isn't easy. It takes time, effort and practice. These self-reflection questions can help you build your skills.
Building a Learning Practice - a guide to Before Action Reviews and After Action Reviews is on pages 5-9.
Improve your team by talking about fears and feelings - Teams that set aside time to discuss fears and feelings strengthen trust, head off relationship conflict, increase learning and improve project outcomes. - a guide to running a project pre-mortem
Fearless Organization Scan and Psychological Safety Index - a survey to assess psychological safety in teams and workplaces. You can work with a team coach (like Randall) to conduct this survey or do it on your own. Get in touch via the form below if you are interested in team coaching support. We typically book projects six months or more in advance.
How can we help you?
If you are interested in collaborating, get in touch soon. It’s never too early. We typically book engagements six months or more in advance.
Some of the projects we worked on recently include:
Supported Dream Defenders, MN350, Pilipino Workers Center, Sunrise Movement, and other organizations to design, launch, and support teams of members
Coached leadership teams at Alabama Arise, Missouri Organizing and Voter Engagement Collaborative, Sunrise Movement and other organizations to improve their effectiveness
Advised founding teams of several new organizations on how to grow a powerful and healthy organization