Working in a team can be challenging and stressful in many ways. However, in most academic and corporate settings, collaboration with others is inevitable. One thing I find personally challenging in team settings is voicing my opinion. I worried that my ideas weren’t good enough or even might sound silly, and I was also afraid to express disagreement with someone else’s opinion. It was this semester that I realized all these concerns are related to a concept called “psychological safety.”
Psychological safety is a norm that must be established within a team, allowing everyone on the team to share their ideas without fearing negative consequences such as embarrassment or discouragement. All team members should feel comfortable both asking and getting questions. Teams with solid psychological safety norms are more effective in initiating ideas, problem-solving, and communication.
As a marketing and communications specialist at the Illinois Leadership Center, I attend the Marketing team meeting every week. During these meetings, I never felt that my ideas were negatively judged, nor did I feel uncomfortable sharing conflicting opinions. These were some noticeable behavior models established by our team leader during the meetings.
- She doesn’t interrupt.
- She reacts to everyone’s comments by summarizing, giving her own opinion, or asking questions, ensuring that everyone is heard.
- Before moving on to a different topic, she double-checks if everyone has shared what they want to share.
These align with some of the psychological safety norms that shape a successful team, as highlighted by the head of the People Operations department at Google named Laszlo Bock in Charles Duhigg’s book, Smarter Faster Better. By mentioning those norms, Bock also emphasizes that how people work together and collaborate is more important than who makes up the team. This means that you don’t have to worry even if your team members are not those smart, creative Google people–you can still foster a stress-free team environment and collaborate effectively with almost anyone by remembering these simple psychological safety behavior models. Start by paying closer attention to other people’s ideas, then try reacting appropriately. You’ll soon be working in a thriving and enjoyable team!
