Summary
The highest-performing teams have one thing in common: psychological safety — the shared belief that no one on the team will embarrass or punish anyone else for admitting a mistake, asking a question, or offering a new idea. Studies show that psychological safety allows for moderate risk-taking, speaking your mind, creativity, and collaboration — just the types of behavior that lead to successful products and services. Creating psychological safety in a workplace - although at times a challenge - can be done. This interactive talk will present the key action steps that DesignOps professionals can immediately take to boost psychological safety in their design teams and create psychological safety between cross-functional teams.
Key Insights
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Safety is a state of the autonomic nervous system (ANS).
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The ANS regulates unconscious body functions and is key to our emotional responses.
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People move between three states: safe, mobilized, and immobilized throughout the day.
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Triggers are personal and can dramatically affect our state of safety.
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Connection is critical for moving back up the ladder towards a safe state.
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Trust is related to how we relate with others but cannot exist without safety.
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Psychological safety enables team members to express themselves without fear of embarrassment.
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Effective teams are characterized by mutual support and transparency.
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Google's Project Aristotle found psychological safety as the key indicator of team effectiveness.
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Creating safety involves fostering environments where individuals feel connected and valued.
Notable Quotes
"Safety is a state of our nervous system."
"Connection is actually what helps to bring people back to a safe state."
"If I make a mistake on our team, it's not going to be held against me."
"When we're in either the mobilized or immobilized state, we literally can’t think."
"Safety in our nervous system means we feel connected to the world and the people in it."
"Psychological safety can be summed up in the statement: if I make a mistake on our team, the people on my team won't disconnect from me."
"The nervous system is our personal surveillance system making sure we’re connected and safe."
"You cannot have trust if you don’t have some connection with that person."
"The opposite of safety is fear."
"Creating safety means creating connection between people."
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