Podcast: Psychological Safety in Theory and In Practice | HBR – The Anxious Achiever Podcast

Psychological safety (PS) in the workplace is an increasingly prominent term as firms seek to obtain the various benefits of a transparent culture. But since many factors affect PS (e.g., a person’s experience with being candid at work, work relationships and dynamics, etc.), it can be challenging to foster PS. In this 55-minute podcast, host Morra Aarons-Mele speaks with Amy Edmondson (Harvard Business School professor) and Christopher Yates (Ford Motor Company’s Chief Talent Officer) about ways to build a culture of PS. Amy mentions that “PS is not about being nice. It’s not safe space. It’s not a trigger free environment. It’s not a guarantee that everything you do will get a round of applause.” It is, however, “a sense of permission for candor. What it is, is the belief that you can be yourself. You can speak up, ask for help, disagree with an idea, admit a mistake and you won’t be rejected or punished in some way.” Both Amy and Chris share ideas for promoting PS in the workplace. Since leaders are catalysts for cultivating PS, this bonus article by McKinsey provides additional ideas for how leaders can role model PS behaviors and create the right climate, mindsets, and interactions that enable psychological safety.