How to Create Psychological Safety and Transform Culture with Gallup Partner Jake Herway
Episode Summary
Episode Summary
(Episode summaries are AI generated)
Creating a Culture of Psychological Safety in the Workplace
Introduction
Welcome to Workplace Therapy, a podcast dedicated to exploring the experience of working together and the importance of healing as a team. In our previous episodes, we discussed trust and psychological safety in the workplace, topics that resonated with many of our listeners. Today, we have a special guest, Jake Herway, a workplace culture specialist, who will help us delve deeper into the concept of psychological safety and how to foster it within organizations.
Meet Jake Herway
Jake Herway, a partner at Gallup, brings over a decade of experience in leading culture change and driving growth strategies across various industries. With expertise in workplace culture, productivity, and aligning employee behavior with successful strategy execution, Jake's insights are highly relevant to our discussions on Workplace Therapy. He holds a Bachelor's degree from BYU and an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.
Exploring Gallup's Work on Culture Transformation
At Gallup, the focus is on culture transformation, which involves driving behavior change at scale. This approach combines an understanding of psychology, business models, and strategies to create lasting change. Gallup delves into human capital practices, including talent attraction, optimal performance management, and leadership development. Emphasizing the role of leaders in setting the tone and providing a model to follow, Gallup helps organizations build a strong foundation for a positive workplace culture.
The Significance of Psychological Safety
During his exploration of risk-taking and culture building, Jake found a common thread connecting psychological safety with organizational success. Psychological safety is the willingness of individuals to take risks and express themselves freely without fear of negative consequences. It is crucial for fostering innovation, problem-solving, and agile decision-making. Risk-taking becomes more prevalent when employees feel psychologically safe within their work environment.
The Challenge of Risk Aversion
While psychological safety is vital, many organizations struggle with risk aversion. Structural factors, such as binary expectations imposed by investors, contribute to this risk-averse culture. Financing requirements often demand hitting specific goals, leaving little room for forgiveness or slack. Additionally, evolutionary factors play a role, as humans are naturally wired to be sensitive to scarcity, deficiency, and failure. Overcoming risk aversion becomes a challenge in organizations seeking to fulfill human potential and self-actualization.
Faith in Customer Experience Transformation
Drawing parallels from the world of customer experience, Scott reflects on the prevalence of customer support operations that are managed as cost centers rather than customer experience-driven organizations. To differentiate themselves, organizations must have faith in creating exceptional customer experiences, valuing interactions, and embracing a long-term perspective. However, quantifying the impact of such changes is difficult, as it does not follow a linear equation. The evolutionary mindset of focusing on scarcity and potential risks often clashes with the need for transformation.
Embracing Uncertainty and Ambiguity
Leaders are often hesitant to make changes when the future is uncertain. They seek data, forecasts, and guarantees of specific outcomes, which can hinder progress. However, the most successful organizations are those that recognize the unpredictability of the future. They acknowledge that no one can accurately forecast every outcome, and they embrace uncertainty and ambiguity. These organizations manage the best they can with the information available, understanding that certainty is elusive and adaptability is key.
Conclusion
Building a culture of psychological safety in the workplace is essential for fostering innovation, risk-taking, and overall organizational success. While organizations face challenges rooted in structural and evolutionary factors, they can overcome them by embracing uncertainty and cultivating a mindset of adaptability. By recognizing the value of psychological safety and its impact on risk tolerance, leaders can create an environment where employees feel empowered to take risks, express themselves freely, and contribute to the growth and success of the organization.
The Power of Conditioning the Brain The Power of Conditioning the Brain for Psychological Safety
Introduction
In the world of business, trust, psychological safety, and risk-taking play critical roles in shaping organizational success. Leaders often grapple with uncertainty and the challenge of fostering a culture that embraces psychological safety. In this article, we delve into the concept of conditioning the brain for psychological safety, exploring how it can transform organizations and drive collective success.
Understanding the Relationship Between Psychological Safety and Risk-Taking
Psychological safety refers to the freedom individuals feel to express themselves and take risks without fear of negative consequences. Risk-taking, on the other hand, involves embracing uncertainty and venturing into new territories. These two concepts are closely intertwined, as psychological safety cultivates an environment that encourages risk-taking and innovation.
The Role of Positive Intent and Appreciation in Fostering Psychological Safety
Creating a psychologically safe workplace starts with two essential conversations: understanding each individual's motivations and expressing appreciation for their unique contributions. These conversations serve as preventive measures against blame and accusation, which can lead to a breakdown in trust. By asking individuals about their personal motivations and sharing what we appreciate about them, we lay the foundation for a supportive and collaborative work environment.
From Blame to Curiosity: Transforming Narratives in Times of Failure
Blame is often a knee-jerk reaction when things go wrong. However, replacing blame with curiosity can change the dynamics of a team in times of failure. The exercises of understanding what we can count on each other for and expressing appreciation help us develop a stronger narrative about our colleagues. By knowing their commitments and appreciating their unique qualities, we can shift from blame to curiosity, seeking to understand the underlying reasons for the failure and learning from it.
Overcoming Evolutionary Predispositions
As humans, we have evolved to be risk-averse and focused on scarcity and potential risks. Overcoming these evolutionary predispositions is crucial in creating a culture of psychological safety and risk-taking. Conditioning the brain involves rewiring our thinking patterns and reactions, allowing us to respond to stimuli in a progressive and adaptive manner.
The Power of Storytelling and Relevant Examples
While data and evidence can support the case for psychological safety, storytelling remains a powerful tool in convincing leaders of its value. Sharing relevant examples and personal experiences helps leaders connect with the concept on a deeper level. Real-life stories that highlight the positive impact of psychological safety and risk-taking are instrumental in shifting mindsets and breaking down skepticism.
Compelling Leaders to Embrace the Shift
Getting leaders to adopt a paradigm shift requires persistence and tailored approaches. While data alone may not be sufficient, sharing stories that resonate with their experiences can be impactful. Additionally, organizations that are already experiencing growth and have an inherent understanding of the importance of psychology in business tend to be more receptive to embracing psychological safety.
Conclusion
Conditioning the brain for psychological safety is a journey that organizations must embark on to foster a culture of trust, risk-taking, and collective success. By replacing blame with curiosity, expressing appreciation, and rewiring our evolutionary predispositions, we can create work environments that empower individuals to take risks and contribute their best. Through storytelling and relevant examples, leaders can be compelled to embrace this shift and recognize the transformative power of psychological safety.