Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor at Harvard Business School, dives into psychological safety in leadership. She emphasizes that effective teams make more mistakes, not because they are worse, but because they feel safe reporting them. Language plays a crucial role; simple shifts like calling errors 'accidents' can create a learning culture. Edmondson encourages leaders to embrace vulnerability by admitting when they don't know something, fostering openness. She highlights that leaders should worry if they aren’t hearing bad news, as it reflects a lack of safety in communication.
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insights INSIGHT
Trust vs. Psychological Safety
Trust is other-focused, evaluating another's trustworthiness.
Psychological safety is self-focused, assessing one's comfort in taking risks.
insights INSIGHT
Localized Psychological Safety
Psychological safety varies significantly across teams, even within the same organization.
This means leaders at any level can influence their team's psychological safety.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Mistakes and Effective Teams
Amy Edmondson's research found higher-performing medical teams reported more mistakes.
This wasn't due to more errors, but increased comfort in reporting them due to psychological safety.
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In 'Turn the Ship Around!', Captain L. David Marquet recounts his experience as the commander of the USS Santa Fe, a nuclear-powered submarine. Initially trained in the traditional 'know all–tell all' leadership model, Marquet faced significant challenges when he took command of the Santa Fe, which was then one of the worst-performing submarines in the fleet. He realized that the traditional leader-follower approach was ineffective and decided to implement a leader-leader model, where every crew member was empowered to take responsibility and make decisions. This approach led to a dramatic improvement in morale, performance, and retention, transforming the Santa Fe into one of the best submarines in the fleet. The book provides practical insights and strategies for implementing this leadership model in various organizational settings.
The Fearless Organization
Amy Edmondson
Amy Edmondson: The Fearless Organization
Amy Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School. She has been recognized by the Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers for many years and was honored with their Talent Award in 2017. Amy is the author of several, highly regarded books on teaming and psychological safety, including her newest book, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth*.
Key Points
Psychological safety varies a lot even inside of an organization.
More effective teams may appear to make more mistakes, but it’s likely those teams are just more comfortable reporting mistakes.
Instead of calling it an error, call it an accident. And rather than calling it an investigation, call it a study.
It’s fine to say, “I don’t know” when appropriate because it signals to others that it is okay to admit when they don’t know something.
If somebody shares a problem, say thank you and then ask how you can help.
Leaders should be concerned if they’re not hearing bad news.
Resources Mentioned
The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth* by Amy Edmondson
Amy Edmondson faculty page
Book Notes
Download my highlights from The Fearless Organization in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
Find Courage to Speak When It Matters Most, with Allan McDonald (episode 229)
Turn Followers Into Leaders, with David Marquet (episode 241)
The Path of Humble Leadership, with Edgar Schein (episode 363)
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