Working Values: How Purpose, Morals, and Meaning Build Stronger Organizations | MIT Sloan Management Review

Many reports indicate workers place increased value on the cultural components of an organization’s employee value proposition (EVP). As leaders create opportunities to enhance and communicate these EVP components—such as shared purpose, psychological safety, and DEI, this special 26-page summer edition of MIT Sloan Management Review includes a collection of four articles containing ideas. The four articles include: 1) Unlock the Power of Purpose, 2) How a Values-Based Approach Advances DEI, 3) Why We Don’t Talk About Meaning at Work, and 4) Fostering Ethical Conduct Through Psychological Safety (PS). Concerning article #4 on PS, the authors, which include Amy C. Edmondson, share on page 23 a modified version of Amy’s original 1999 psychological safety scale. They added a new sixth item to capture the extent to which people hesitate to speak up. The six items are 1) On my team, if you make a mistake, it is often held against you. 2) Members of my team are able to bring up problems and tough issues. 3) People on my team sometimes reject others for having different views. 4) It is safe to take a risk on my team. 5) It is difficult to ask other members of my team for help. 6) I tend to think about how raising a concern will reflect on me before speaking up. Based on statistical analysis, the addition of the sixth question shows strong internal consistency—meaning that all six items are consistent with one another and measure the same underlying construct of PS. Leaders can refer to these questions as they gauge the extent to which PS exist in their organizations.