Psychological safety
A practical guide for managers
Psychological safety has been shown to be the single most important factor influencing success in workplace teams.*
A psychologically safe team has norms – unwritten rules about how members interact – that encourage openness and honesty, that make people feel respected, and that accept that sometimes, people make mistakes.
Members of psychologically safe teams feel more comfortable trying new things, admitting when they are struggling, and working independently. They feel supported and, in turn, help to support their colleagues. As a result, the team becomes more than the sum of its parts.
This training session introduces managers to the concept of psychological safety, explains its relevance to their role, and provides a range of tools to help them build of a supportive, open culture in their own teams.
What participants will learn
This intensive session has been designed to have maximum practical impact in a short time. The topics covered include:
Psychological safety
- What is psychological safety?: “a feeling that it’s okay to express opinions, raise concerns, and to admit mistakes”
- Identifying the big business benefits of psychological safety
- Identifying the key barriers to psychological safety in your team and organisation
- Practical steps you can take to build a culture of psychological safety in your team
- Developing ‘radical candor’ in teams – balancing relationships and challenge appropriately
Managing diversity
- What is cognitive diversity?: “inclusion of people with different beliefs, viewpoints, approaches”
- Recognising the competitive advantage of cognitive diversity in teams and organisations
- What is neurodiversity?: “inclusion of people with different brain function, ways of thinking and interacting with others”
- Understanding the needs of colleagues who are neurodiverse
- Creating an appropriate working environment and building relationships with colleagues who are neurodiverse
How to disagree
- Recognising why teams who disagree make better decisions
- What makes disagreement difficult?
- Using a range of tools and techniques to disagree positively
- How to facilitate constructive disagreement in teams and in meetings
- Managing emotions and behaviours when disagreeing
Action planning
Classroom or virtual delivery
This highly interactive programme can be delivered virtually or as traditional classroom training.
The classroom course is run over a full day, and can be delivered at your offices or a convenient venue. Virtual courses can be run in a range of formats to suit your delegates’ roles and learning requirements.
Whether virtual or classroom, the training is practical, packed with useful tools and tips, and highly engaging. It will equip participants with the knowledge and skills to make an immediate impact on their ability to approach challenging conversations with confidence.
If you have a group of staff who could benefit from the Psychological Safety and your Team course, we can deliver a session for your organisation at a time that suits you.
Participants can join a virtual session from the office or from home, or we can come to you to deliver the training in the classroom.
Fees depend on the number of participants and whether or not you would like the content adapted to address any specific issues relevant to your group.
Please contact us to find out more and to obtain a quote.
About us
Cambridge Exec is a boutique learning consultancy made up of a select team of specialists in workplace wellbeing, communications and people-oriented leadership and management. We deliver training and coaching, and conduct research and analysis that supports your people-centred workplace culture.
For twenty years we’ve been helping organisations ranging from small startups to international brands to build their people’s capacities, enhance wellbeing and boost engagement and productivity at work.
