During a discussion with a laboratory colleague, I was asked what my team would do if an autoclave sterilizer gauge failed. It was clear that he feared repercussions of identifying non-conforming work. This spoke volumes about the psychological safety factor in that laboratory. After the call, I was taken aback by the thought of working in a laboratory and being scared to identify when processes didn’t go according to plan. My team is my hands and eyes. They do the work, test the systems, troubleshoot, and report. How can they be my hands and eyes if I didn’t trust them to do the job? A team that completes work in a timely manner, communicates when things go wrong, addresses issues proactively, and provides feedback requires trust and safety to be established. 

What is psychological safety in the workplace? 

Psychological safety is an environment where every team member feels safe asking questions, expressing opinions, taking risks, reporting failures, and learning from mistakes without the fear of repercussion. 

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As lab managers, we can have both a result-oriented environment and create a safe space where our employees can learn, grow, and communicate. The challenge is merging the two. If the team feels safe, it will create an environment that supports a proactive approach. In this environment, teams will identify issues before they get out of control. 

There are numerous aspects to successfully creating psychological safety, but five stand out: communication, respect, vulnerability, positivity, and feedback.  

Consistently lead in these five aspects to model psychological safety

Communication. Providing an open-door policy, active listening, and being open to hearing ideas are great ways to improve communications on a team. It is beneficial to understand each team member's communication style. Utilize tools such as DiSC® and assessments and other useful behavioral assessment tools to identify the motivators and stressors behind each employee. I focus on flexing my leadership style for everyone on my team. Each lab member is their own individual with their own stressors and motivators. If you can fine-tune your style, you will reap the benefits of your employee's engagement. 

Respect. Everyone deserves respect. In respectful conversations, everyone has an opportunity to speak, and no one talks over others.  Early in my lab career, I oversaw a team that talked over each other and didn’t give any respect. I had to teach them how to have respectful conversations. Once we had that established, we could focus on the work.  Lab managers may have to facilitate, teach this to the team, and model this behavior. One tool that I have found useful is adding a roundtable to the end of the meeting; this allows team members to each have their moment to speak. 

Vulnerability. Be authentic with your team, share your experiences, and encourage others to do the same. Rejection, mistakes, and emotions are hard to share. Glimmers of vulnerability show you are not above the team. Focus on sharing a weakness, experience, or failure with your team; this can be in a team meeting or a one-on-one. 

Positivity. Your team looks to you to lead them through the hard times. If a leader is focused on the positives, then the team will do the same. Having a positive attitude and being focused on results will help the team through those difficult times. Be cognizant that in difficult conversations, it is important not to let it lead to a rant. Always end conversations on a positive note  and focus on the outcomes that need to come. 

Feedback. Part of maintaining a safe environment necessitates that the manager solicits and listens to all feedback. This requires a continual feedback mechanism as you navigate to create psychological safety, i.e. regularly scheduled one-on-ones. A helpful tool I utilize is to ask each team member at the end of a one-on-one how I can better support them. This is an open-ended question that gives the employee a platform to express feedback. You will know you are progressing when feedback is provided during a one-on-one. This demonstrates that the employee feels safe. Be prepared for feedback you’re not prepared for; you must be composed and recognized as an active listener.  Not all input requires change or improvement. Listen, evaluate, and implement as needed. 

How do we create psychological safety? 

It is critical the lab manager has a sense of self-awareness when creating and maintaining a psychologically safe environment. Follow these steps to get started: 

Step 1: Discovery phase

Assessing the current environment is crucial for improving it. Review the five aspects of psychological safety. 

Consider these questions to evaluate your current operations: 

1. Does the team have an effective communication style? 

2. Are employees feeling respected? 

3. Do you share your experiences to benefit the team? 

4. Are you creating a positive outlook amid challenging assignments? 

5. Are you open to feedback? Do you implement suggestions?

Step 2: Identifying areas of improvement

Develop a plan to address the gaps identified. Each situation is different. Consider what is needed for your team to communicate effectively and feel safe speaking up, no matter the position. 

Step 3: Reassess and feedback loop

Don’t be discouraged if the first attempts at establishing psychological safety are unsuccessful. This is an ongoing process that lab managers must implement, assess, and adapt to. Listen to your team, solicit their feedback and ideas, and evaluate the culture over time.  

As lab leaders, we should continually ask ourselves a critical question: Is our regular response to non-conformances conducive to a psychologically safe environment?  Psychological safety is not an “improve it and leave it” concept. By leading in these five areas, you will have every chance to nurture a psychologically safe environment.

How do you know you have a psychologically safe environment?

Be engaged with your team. Monitor employee engagement during their work. Do employees come to you with feedback? Are you actively seeking feedback from your team? Are you being notified when non-conforming work occurs?  If your answer is no to those questions, reevaluate the system you have put in place and identify areas of where you and your team can improve. 

Remember, as lab managers we can have both a result-oriented environment and create a safe space where our employees can learn, grow, and communicate. Be a leader who nurtures psychological safety while achieving results effectively.