What are three key factors that contribute to psychologically safe teams?
After reviewing the referenced articles on psychological safety, which is the first time I have heard of this concept, I would infer that three key factors which contribute ot psychologically safe teams are equal conversation, knowing and understanding your teammates, and creating a safe environment to make mistakes.
Evaluate, with details, a previous professional setting (or team) you were in with regards to psychological safety.
During my most recent assignment before separating from the Army, the final position I held there put me in a small team that had an outsized impact on our overall organization. I was coming from a very different type of position and learning what my expectations would be while on this team was a bit intimidating but I was surprised at how quickly everyone supported me and spent time getting to know about me as a person and my life. I was also surprised, any maybe at times a bit overwhelmed, by how I was generally viewed as an equal contributor to conversations about work and the degree of input I was allowed to give on topics that I wasn’t a subject matter expert on. While I wouldn’t rank that team as being a highly psychologically safe, I see now how this team embodied many of the values of psychological safety which helps me understand why it was such a high performing team.
What impact do teams that operate with a high degree of psychological safety have on their company and the team members?
Teams operating with a high degree of psychological safety will be more productive and generally attain more successes. These teams will also excel at working together to accomplish their tasks.