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Team members having a meeting<\/p>\n
<\/fbs-accordion>getty<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
More than metrics, kick-off meetings or the promise of year-end bonuses, team performance is driven by culture. One sign of a toxic culture is high turnover, something supportive and empathetic leaders work to avoid. While some industries have higher attrition rates than others, a toxic corporate culture is 10 times<\/a> more significant than compensation in predicting voluntary departures.<\/p>\n In contrast, a hallmark of work environments<\/a> people want to inhabit is psychological safety, which encourages initiative taking and innovative thinking. It\u2019s up to leadership to create psychologically safe workplaces for their teams. Here are a few ways to do it and why it matters.<\/p>\n \n ADVERTISEMENT<\/span> It\u2019s not always bad for everyone on a team to agree\u2014it\u2019s called consensus. But when it arises out of fear, the result is groupthink. When groupthink occurs<\/a>, expressed loyalty to the group or boss outweighs the best choices. The dangers of groupthink<\/a> include making unethical decisions and having one person dictate the team\u2019s direction. History shows that groupthink has been linked to disastrous outcomes such as the space shuttle Challenger<\/em> accident.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not sure whether groupthink is happening within your team, look for the telltale signs. Are people radio silent when asked for their opinions? Is there a general feeling of apathy or complacency? It may be because team members don\u2019t believe leadership values their perspectives, a reasonable conclusion when diverse opinions are actively shot down or passively ignored.<\/p>\n According to advisory firm McChrystal Group, only 37% of leaders<\/a> encourage their teammates to voice alternate or opposing points of view. While not asking for others\u2019 perspectives doesn\u2019t constitute resistance to diverse ideas, it does discourage their expression. A psychologically safe environment is one where employees can openly disagree with leadership without fearing they\u2019ll get penalized for using their voice.<\/p>\n \n ADVERTISEMENT<\/span> When you ask for diverse opinions and empower your team members to express them, you ensure the best ideas bubble to the surface. You reinforce healthy debate by promoting group discussion about the merits of each concept. Instead of putting your stamp on every initiative, demonstrate a willingness to listen to\u2014and act on\u2014team members\u2019 contributions.<\/p>\n In fear-based work environments, employees are afraid to make mistakes. It\u2019s not the usual trepidation of slipping up and having an uncomfortable conversation at quarterly review time. Instead, it\u2019s a fear that leads to hiding serious problems through questionable behaviors.<\/p>\n Say your company only evaluates sales teams based on closed sales. On top of this, there\u2019s constant pressure from leadership to beat the numbers by achieving continuous growth. While expansion goals are admirable, what if the company is already the top dog in an oversaturated market? Surpassing last year\u2019s numbers may be unrealistic, causing employees to find \u201ccreative\u201d ways to mask underperformance.<\/p>\n \n ADVERTISEMENT<\/span> Furthermore, expecting perfection from your team can discourage the kind of risk taking that leads to innovation. Employees may experience stunted professional growth because they\u2019re not in an environment where they can safely fail. Perfectionism can also lead to micromanagement, another factor<\/a> that impedes psychological safety. When teams are micromanaged, they hold back, waiting for the boss to tell them what to do.<\/p>\n You can help your team without resorting to micromanagement if you time your offers of assistance right. Rather than swooping to prevent an error, which conveys a lack of trust, allow team members to proceed and experience any difficulties firsthand. By remaining available but not imposing yourself, you enable your subordinates to ask for assistance when they\u2019re ready to receive it.<\/p>\n Have you ever worked hard on a project only to be told by the higher-ups that you went in the wrong direction? You had to start over because the work you did doesn\u2019t come close to matching the new road map. You probably felt defeated or even got angry, wondering why leadership didn\u2019t outline their expectations more clearly beforehand.<\/p>\n \n ADVERTISEMENT<\/span> Now imagine this scenario happening repeatedly on every project your team works on. They\u2019d have to develop some thick skin and a nonchalant attitude to keep themselves in the game. But underneath it all, team members would lose confidence in their abilities to perform\u2014or your ability to manage. They\u2019d no longer feel safe taking initiative and would run every move by you first. Perhaps they\u2019d notice problems and just wait for the chips to fall where they would.<\/p>\nEncourage Diverse Perspectives<\/h2>\n
Make Room for Mistakes<\/h2>\n
Set Clear Expectations<\/h2>\n