Measuring Psychological Safety

1 – On this team, I understand what is expected of me.

It is essential that team members understand what is expected of them in terms of delivery (speed, quality, cost, and other factors) and behaviour (everything from dress code and punctuality to quality standards) to foster psychological safety. Ensure tasks are clear and well defined, behaviour expectations are explicit, and negative behaviours are dealt with.

2 – I feel my ideas are valued, and I feel safe in suggesting them.

It can be daunting to suggest an idea to other people, particularly if it’s not fully formed yet. But some of the best outcomes result from suggesting ideas that aren’t quite ready. And the more ideas we can play with, the better the outcomes for the team. In team discussions where you’re trying to generate ideas, make it explicit that you’re interested in the half-baked, barely thought through ideas, even the “bad” ideas, as well as the “good” ones. 

3 – If I make a mistake on this team, it is never held against me.

A psychologically safe team will never blame a member of the team for a genuine mistake if their intentions were good. Indeed, by enabling mistakes to be made without a fear of blame, you enable innovation and risk taking that can drive your organisation ahead of the competition. Utilise systems thinking and safety culture approaches to prevent mistakes before they happen or mitigate the impact of mistakes when they do. Introduce the team to the Local Rationality Principle and use it to guide your approach when things go wrong. 

4 – When something goes wrong, we work together to find the systemic causes.

Related to the previous point but important enough to warrant its own question, a system of discovering the root causes of mistakes and failures means that not only do team members feel able to take risks without being blamed, but every single “failure” is an opportunity for learning and improvement. By building psychological safety through these retrospective exercises, everyone on the team gets to learn from mistakes, meaning mistakes are a gift, not a threat. Look for all the causes of an incident or failure, not just the “root cause”. And don’t forget to look for the causes of success too!

5 – I feel able to bring up problems and concerns.

In a psychologically safe team, all members of the team are able to bring up problems and tough issues, ranging from personal struggles to concerns about other (even senior) members of the team. This psychological safety is crucial for allowing both vulnerability to show when you’re struggling and need help, and courage to raise difficult topics. Create different mechanisms and channels for team members to use to raise concerns.

6 – Members of this team never reject others for being different and nobody is left out.

Evidence shows that diversity in a team results in higher quality products and happier team members, but diversity in itself is not enough: it is crucial that team members are all included in decision making and delivering results. To facilitate psychological safety (and high performance) every member of the team needs to be invested in the decisions made and the outcomes generated. This is particularly crucial for remote and distributed teams, where it is more difficult to see if a team member is becoming disengaged. Ensure everyone’s voices are heard in meetings and be firm with behaviour that excludes others. 

7 – It is safe for me to take a risk on this team.

Mistakes happen unintentionally, but risks are about taking actions that might not work, or may have unintended consequences. Psychological safety provides the framework for intelligent risk-taking, enabling innovation and ultimately, competitive advantage. Agree as a team what is “safe-to-fail” and how to make those calculations and design intelligent experiments. 

8 – It is easy for me to ask other members of this team for help.

In psychologically unsafe teams, team members try to hide their perceived weaknesses or vulnerabilities, which prevents them from asking for help. In a psychologically safe team, members prioritise the team goals over individual goals and are happy to help each other. Notice and praise when team members are supporting each other and model asking for help yourself when you need it. 

9 – Nobody on this team would deliberately act in a way that undermines my efforts. 

In an unsafe team, members compete with each other to achieve their individual goals, and may even undermine other team members if it could benefit them or it is perceived that doing so may elevate their “rank” within the team or organisation. In a psychologically safe team, that counter-productive competition doesn’t exist, and the success of the team is more important looking good in the eyes of others. Ensure that scarcity, pressure, and rewards systems aren’t inadvertently creating competition between team members.

10 – Working with members of this team, my unique skills and talents are valued and utilised.

We all bring our own unique experience, skills and knowledge to the teams that we’re in, but we also bring our own prejudices and biases. In a psychologically safe team where members are valued for being their true selves, biases are less likely to manifest. Indeed, team members may feel safe enough to identify, raise, and discuss their own biases or those of other team members. By doing so, we provide space for each individual to maximise their potential from utilising their own unique skills and talents. To help the team learn more about each other, consider introducing personal user manuals.

All round improvement ideas

As well as addressing any specific weaknesses as outlined above, when you’ve completed the survey, you can work on creating and maintaining psychological safety in your workplace with these ten key behaviours and actions.

Additionally, here is a list of over 140 different behaviours that help to foster psychological safety, such as praising people for admitting mistakes and being firm with negative or harmful behaviours in the group. Take a look and share it amongst your teams to help with practical ways to foster psychological safety.