Psychological Safety.

The text on corporate culture was several times longer than optimal, so the part about psychological safety, as what corporate culture provides or should provide, was omitted.

Psychological safety would be most simply described as a safe space where people feel comfortable admitting their mistakes and learning from their failures. We don't train or teach psychological safety like we do, for example, empathy, emotional intelligence, or active listening; we provide it to our employees.

As a result, all employees will openly share their ideas, fostering an innovative environment. It will also prevent teams from falling victim to analysis paralysis and lead to faster decision-making. Team members with a high level of psychological safety feel that their opinions are accepted and valued, not just when they agree with the rest of the team. On the contrary, expressing contradictory opinions (with valid arguments) helps the entire team progress and increases productivity.

The feeling of psychological safety is based on psychological processes that occur in our brains, which are closely related to our emotional and cognitive states.

Four Zones of Psychological Safety

There are four zones of psychological safety that people can experience in the workplace:

• Comfort Zone: people are open and collegial, but lack challenge. Consequently, teams fail to make significant breakthroughs.
• Learning Zone: people are actively engaged in collaboration and learning, achieving high performance by undertaking new and complex tasks and projects.
• Anxiety Zone: people are reluctant to offer ideas, try new things, or ask for help, thereby jeopardizing the work itself.
• Apathy Zone: people come to work but their hearts and minds are elsewhere, avoiding effort, responsibilities, and persistence in work and progress.

It would be desirable for employees to be in the learning zone, which, along with good leaders, will be ensured by a supportive corporate culture.

Circles of Security

The Circle of Security is actually a concept developed by psychologist Aaron Beck, who focused on the concept of human beliefs and how they influence our perception and experience of the world around us. Beck emphasized that our beliefs are deeply rooted in our brains and we are sometimes unaware of them.

When we apply this concept to creating psychological safety in organizations, we can see how people build their attitudes and opinions about their environment in their minds. If they feel safe and valued, positive patterns of thinking and feeling will emerge, leading to positive behaviors. This will be reflected in their ability to express ideas, solve problems, and collaborate with others on the team.

On the other hand, if they feel insecure, unimportant, or even attacked, people will develop negative patterns of thinking and feeling that will result in negative behavior. This will reduce their ability to express themselves and collaborate with others, consequently reducing productivity and organizational success. Furthermore, a culture of psychological safety can lead to faster decision-making and prevention of analysis paralysis. When employees feel safe to express their ideas, they are willing to openly discuss all events and situations, which can lead to faster progress and goal achievement. Additionally, when employees feel psychologically safe, they can focus more on the task at hand and spend less time worrying about the consequences of expressing their opinions.

There is a significant amount of research on the importance of circles of security, psychological safety, and supportive corporate culture.

One such study was conducted by Edmondson and colleagues (1999), focusing on how psychological safety affects learning and performance improvement in healthcare. Their research showed that teams with a higher level of psychological safety learn better and achieve better results compared to teams with a lower level of psychological safety.

Another study was conducted by Newman and colleagues (2017) who examined how psychological safety affects creativity in teams. Their research showed that teams with a higher level of psychological safety have a greater propensity for innovation and creativity compared to teams with a lower level of psychological safety.

Incidentally, Aaron Beck is a famous American psychiatrist and psychotherapist who developed cognitive therapy as a form of treatment. Beck's theory emphasizes the importance of cognitive processes in forming our emotions and behaviors, and how our thoughts influence our feelings and actions. It is important to note that Beck's theory is not strictly related to the concept of psychological safety, which is often associated with the concept of psychological climate in organizations and groups. However, to me, circles of security are hygiene factors that should be met in companies, as part of their corporate culture.

Leading People

The way people are led plays an important role in creating psychological safety. People need to feel that they have control over their lives and that they have opportunities for advancement. To ensure the psychological safety of their employees, leaders need to create a stimulating work environment that supports employee growth and development, as well as transparent decision-making processes and fair working conditions. Also, leaders should establish open and constructive communication with employees, which can help them feel involved in decision-making processes and that their voices are important.

Leading people in organizations must be focused on creating psychological safety to ensure the success of teams and the organization as a whole. This includes careful planning and implementation of activities to create a positive environment, the backbone of which will be transparency and consistent communication that will help establish trust.

Brain Function and Psychological Safety

Our brain tends to adapt to the environment it is in. When we are in a comfort zone, our brain relaxes and functions on autopilot, minimizing cognitive activities. However, when we are exposed to new challenges and situations that encourage us to learn and grow, our brain activates and begins to process new information and create new neural connections. This zone is called the learning zone and represents the space where growth and development occur.

On the other hand, if we feel insufficiently challenged, our brain can find itself in the apathy zone. This zone is characterized by feelings of boredom and stagnation, and can cause a lack of motivation and desire for progress.

Finally, there is also the anxiety zone, which occurs when we are faced with too many challenges and feel overwhelmed. This zone is characterized by feelings of anxiety, fear, and insecurity, and can lead to us feeling incompetent and unqualified to face challenges.

To ensure psychological safety, it is important to find a balance between the comfort, learning, apathy, and anxiety zones. It is necessary to expose oneself to new situations and challenges to stimulate growth and development, but at the same time create enough security and support to reduce anxiety and apprehension.

Given how the brain functions, psychological safety can influence the activity of certain brain areas. For example, when a person feels threatened or in an anxiety zone, the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for defense and stress response, can become overactive. This can lead to feelings of anxiety and reduced capacity for thinking and decision-making. On the other hand, when a person feels safe and in a learning zone, the cortex, the part of the brain responsible for thinking, planning, and decision-making, can become more active. This can lead to increased creativity and productivity. Therefore, creating an environment where employees feel psychological safety will have a positive impact on their work and contribution to the organization.

Psychological Safety and Turnover

There is a strong link between a lack of psychological safety and a high employee turnover rate in organizations. When employees feel that their needs for security, support, and respect are violated, it can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction, stress, and frustration. If these feelings are not addressed, employees may decide to leave the organization in search of better opportunities.

Besides impacting productivity, quality, and speed of decision-making, ensuring psychological safety and creating a supportive work environment is also crucial for reducing turnover rates and retaining valuable employees. This can be achieved by providing clear expectations, proper communication, ensuring resources and support for employees, and through empowering and developing their skills.