From Breakdown to Breakthrough: Managing Threat Response in the Workplace
Oct 23, 2023
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Explore the connections between cognitive capacity, motivation, threat, and reward in the workplace, and how organizations can prioritize psychological safety to drive positive business outcomes. Discover strategies for managing threat responses, promoting psychological safety, and creating a supportive environment. Learn about the importance of emotional regulation and using the SCARF model to label situations and emotions.
Understanding and managing threat responses is crucial for psychological safety in the workplace.
The SCARF model can be utilized to create a psychologically safe environment by addressing status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, and fairness.
Individuals can employ strategies like reappraisal and labeling, seek support from others, and engage in physical activity to effectively manage threat levels.
Deep dives
Strategies for Managing Threat at Work
Psychological safety in the workplace depends on understanding and managing threat responses. Recognizing the connections between cognitive capacity, motivation, threat, and reward is crucial. Building a shared language to label emotions and situations is important. Strategies like reappraisal and labeling can help manage threat levels effectively. Reframing and reappraising situations can assist in minimizing threat responses. The SCARF model can be utilized to create a psychologically safe environment by addressing status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, and fairness. Additionally, collective reappraisal and seeking support from others can enhance the effectiveness of managing threat responses.
Preemptively Managing Threat
By using the SCARF model, organizations can preemptively manage threats. Clarifying situations, determining threat levels, and maintaining a shared language among team members can create a proactive approach. Addressing areas of social threat like status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, and fairness can help minimize threats and promote a psychologically safe environment. Using SCARF buffers can help safeguard against potential threats and optimize team dynamics.
Strategies for Individuals in Threatening Situations
Individuals can employ strategies like reappraisal and labeling to manage threat responses. Reappraisal involves reframing and finding alternative interpretations of situations for better emotional regulation. Labeling emotions can provide clarity and alleviate negative feelings. Seeking support from others, engaging in physical activity, and removing oneself from highly threatening situations can also be effective in managing threat levels. Additionally, maintaining open communication and sharing emotions can contribute to a healthier work environment.
Role of Leaders in Managing Threat
Leaders play a critical role in creating psychologically safe environments by modeling vulnerability and emotional regulation. Using SCARF principles, leaders can provide clarity, establish fairness, promote relatedness, and create a sense of autonomy among team members. Proactively addressing threats and fostering open communication can mitigate negative impacts of threats and nurture a supportive work culture. Encouraging collective reappraisal and implementing SCARF buffers can further enhance psychological safety.
Navigating Change and Uncertainty
During times of change, such as mergers or organizational transitions, managing threat becomes essential. Using SCARF principles to address uncertainty, fairness, autonomy, and relatedness can help alleviate stress and promote psychological safety. Openly sharing information, providing clarity where possible, and acknowledging individuals' sensitivities to specific domains can create a healthier environment. Preemptive strategies, collective reappraisal, and encouraging open dialogue can navigate change and uncertainty effectively.
What are the connections between cognitive capacity, motivation, threat, and reward?
How do organizations that prioritize psychological safety differ — in terms of business performance — from those that don't?
What cognitive levers should organizations think about when executing change initiatives in order to manage threat, motivate their teams and drive positive business outcomes?
On this episode of Your Brain at Work Live, Dr. Emma Sarro and Dr. Ryan Curl provide answers to these questions and more — sharing key findings from our latest NeuroLeadership Journal, "Managing Threat Response in the Workplace".
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