"The fear of conflict is almost always a sign of problems" - Patrick Lencioni
While conflict may seem like it should be something to avoid if you want to nurture a thriving team, understanding what healthy conflict looks like can help to create innovative, creative environments that produce results.
Teams that encourage and support healthy conflict are more likely to have lively and interesting meetings, gain insight and ideas from every team member (not just the boss), and solve problems quickly. Still, it is tough to cultivate this kind of environment if you don’t trust each other. Open communication, between colleagues who inherently trust each other, comes when individuals feel psychologically safe and it enables people to not only contribute their best ideas but to disagree when they see something that no one else sees.
Psychological safety and a positive attitude to learning and growth require leaders and team members to embrace feeling uncomfortable. These teams are driven, never satisfied with past achievements, and have a healthy risk appetite – and risk-taking often means being able to speak up, have opinions, and admit that you don’t know the answer. Psychological safety isn’t about making everyone feel cozy and it doesn’t mean that you’re creating a culture where everyone’s opinion counts all the time, or where you can continue to fail without consequences. Psychological safety is a fundamental belief that when you speak up you will not be punished and your status on the team will not suffer based upon what you have raised.
One of the most difficult challenges that leaders face in promoting healthy conflict is the desire to protect team members from harm. This can lead to the premature interruption of disagreements which prevents team members from developing coping skills for dealing with healthy conflict alone. The most effective leaders exercise restraint when teams engage in healthy conflict and can role model how to do it successfully, embracing feedback and sharing learning along the way.
How to Heal a Workplace: Tackle Trauma, Foster Psychological Safety and Boost Happiness at Work by Kerry Howard
Your workplace’s most powerful resource is its people. That’s why it’s critical to balance the needs of your business with the needs of the employees who make that business happen every day. How to Heal a Workplace shares the insights and hands-on advice that you need to better understand how your culture impacts your team. Drawing on real-world stories from a diverse range of industries, you’ll learn how to manage interpersonal challenges?and anticipate the impact of policies and procedures?to create a healthier, happier, and more productive environment.
The Psychological Safety Playbook: Lead More Powerfully by Being More Human by Karolin Helbig and Minette Norman
Every employee, at every level, wants to feel seen, heard, and respected. If we don’t feel safe, we can’t be our best selves or do our most creative work. This is why leaders must ensure psychological safety for everyone in their team. Whether you’re a manager, CEO, or entrepreneur, The Psychological Safety Playbook is the guide you need to lead your team to the highest levels of performance and innovation.
Ivan is the only accredited ‘Licensed Psychological Safety Practitioner’ in the North East who can carry out the Fearless Organization Scan, which is widely regarded as the gold standard for measuring psychological safety.
For more insights on what company culture truly means, and to find out more about booking a Fearless Organization Scan for your business follow Centric Consultants on LinkedIn or email Ivan directly at ivan@centric-consultants.com