Summary of Building a psychologically safe workplace | Amy Edmondson | TEDxHGSE

00:00:00 - 00:10:00

Amy Edmondson discusses the concept of psychological safety in the workplace, and how it is necessary for employees to feel comfortable communicating with each other. She describes three ways in which leaders can create a psychologically safe workplace environment.

• 00:00:00 The speaker discusses three workplace stories, each of which illustrates how withholding information can lead to negative consequences. In the first story, a nurse considers calling the doctor at home after noticing an overdose on a patient's medication. In the second story, a pilot doesn't speak up when he realizes his senior officer might have made a mistake. In the third story, a senior executive who has recently been hired to join a very successful consumer product's company worries about a planned takeover. The speaker argues that withholding information in these situations can be detrimental to team effectiveness and innovation. Psychological safety, or the belief that it is okay to speak up with concerns, questions, and ideas, is essential to these positive outcomes.
• 00:05:00 Amy Edmondson discusses the concept of psychological safety, or the willingness of employees to communicate and share information openly. She finds that units with a climate of openness are more likely to make mistakes, contrary to expectations. She describes three ways in which leaders can create a psychologically safe workplace environment.
• 00:10:00 Amy Edmondson discusses the importance of psychological safety in the workplace, arguing that it is necessary for employees to feel comfortable talking to each other in order to be their absolute best. She stresses the importance of creating workplaces that are challenging but also provide psychological safety for employees.