Importance of Psychological Safety

Google's Project Aristotle, which analyzed 180 teams and conducted more than 200 interviews, found that one of the key characteristics of successful teams is that team members feel free to speak up, take risks and be vulnerable in front of each other. 

This principle is called Psychological Safety. 

In such teams no one is punished or ridiculed for admitting a mistake, asking questions, or offering a new idea. This sense of safety frees people to speak up and fosters trust.

Here at World Lab we practice values which we believe lead to Psychological Safety. 

Openness

• We believe that the ideas of a whole community can strengthen outcomes for that community. 
  
  • Therefore, we practice traditions which create a forums for brainstorming and feedback.

Bottom-up expertise

• We believe that the person closest to the problem is most apt to understand the best solution. 
  • Therefore, we empower team members to take ownership over individual tasks.

Structured sharing

• We believe voices are best heard when everyone is given space and time to speak. 
  • Unlike remote workplaces in which confident and social people are naturally given most of the time and space to speak we believe in deliberately creating room for those who are not as social to share their often thoughts. This is best practiced in small team settings.