By WALE AKINYEMI

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A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Google Aristotle Project, an initiative to understand what makes a team effective. The study highlighted five key parameters for great teams, with psychological safety at the top.

Psychological safety is the foundation for building a culture of open communication, mutual trust and respect. It's about creating an environment where team members feel safe to take risks, voice their opinions, admit mistakes and share ideas, fostering an atmosphere that encourages innovation and challenging the status quo, which is vital in today's evolving business landscape.

In environments lacking psychological safety, employees often fear speaking up due to potential retribution or ridicule, leading to a culture of silence where crucial issues are overlooked.

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The dismissal of contributions, especially from certain groups, breeds feelings of undervaluation and damages team cohesion. Such settings may also cultivate toxic competition, shifting the focus from collaboration to outperforming peers, eroding trust and teamwork.

I cannot count the number of times team members have told me they kept their thoughts to themselves because when ideas are suggested, the team gets credit if they work, but the individual bears the consequences if they don't.

A psychologically safe workplace environment promotes inclusivity, ensuring all team members feel valued and have equal opportunities to contribute, enriching the team with a variety of perspectives. And employee concerns are addressed with respect.

If you ever doubted the value of such an environment, consider this: a group of Nobel Prize winners at a roundtable meeting were asked what contributed to their success. Many suggestions were made, but no one was forthright, until one of them pointed out that innovation is birthed, at a place where people are free to be perceived as 'stupid'.

He emphasized that great ideas arise only when people feel free enough to present all ideas, many of which might initially seem silly. This highlights that a psychologically safe environment is not just beneficial but essential.

As a leader, the question you should be asking is not just about performance, but, "How psychologically safe are we as an organisation?" The answer to this will pave the way for innovation, growth and success.

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Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar, stressed the importance of a culture where employees are encouraged to voice their opinions. This open culture, is credited with the creative success of Pixar's films.

Conversely, Enron serves as a cautionary example. Its culture was marked by fierce competition, high rewards for short-term successes and severe consequences for perceived failures. This environment suppressed honest communication, significantly contributing to the company's collapse.

And Volkswagen emissions scandal underscores the consequences of lacking psychological safety. The firm’s rigid hierarchy and intolerance for failure led to a scenario where engineers, fearing repercussions, manipulated emissions tests instead of reporting issues.

In organisations, apparent peace and harmony can be misleading. Some of the most seemingly tranquil organisations are the most troubled, as intimidation silences dissent. It is evident that the key to unlocking high performance in an organisation is the psychological health of the organisation.

Wale Akinyemi is the founder of the Street University. Email [email protected]