It gives us immense pleasure to announce our next Greytribe live session, being conducted on April 19th, Wednesday at 3:30 PM to 4:00 PM.
This time, there will be an exclusive 30 minutes of LIVE discussion thread with the Expert Ms. Suchandra Dutta, Senior Manager (India HR Lead), Alif Semiconductor on the topic ‘Empathetic Leadership: Strengthening psychological safety.’
We thank each one of you for the continuous support and enthusiasm that you bring to the LIVE community session. Your support motivates us and we strive harder every time to come up with new, exciting, and informative sessions. Much appreciated.
Requesting members to post your doubts/queries related to how to create a psychologically safe workplace with empathetic leadership on this post and get them answered by the Industry Expert on April 19th, 2023.
Join the Greytribe live session on ‘Empathetic Leadership: Strengthening Psychological Safety’ and get all your queries answered by expert Ms. Suchandra Dutta, Senior Manager (India HR Lead), Alif Semiconductor from 3:30 pm to 4:00 pm on Wednesday, April 19th.
Join us today for another exciting session on ‘Empathetic Leadership: Strengthening Psychological Safety ’ and get all your queries answered by expert Ms. Suchandra Dutta, Senior Manager (India HR Lead), Alif Semiconductor from 3:30 pm to 4:00 pm.
You just need to visit this page at 3.30 PM and start chatting live with the expert. You can also post your queries in advance and our expert will pick them up first to respond.
Let’s welcome today’s expert for the session, Ms. Suchandra Dutta, Senior Manager (India HR Lead), Alif Semiconductor.
Suchandra is an Alumnus of Haas School of Business, University of Berkley with nearly 15 years of strategy, consulting, program management and practitioner experience in the area of Human Resources. As a senior HR leader, she has hands-on experience of leading different HR functions (HR Business Partner, Compensation & Benefits, Competency Development, HR Tech, Recruitment, and Policies) with leading global organizations such as AstraZeneca, Novozymes, Alcatel - Lucent. She is a dynamic leader, capable of analyzing alternatives and identifying tough choices while communicating the same. She is experienced in working with global cross-functional teams and implementing global projects in HR.
We are thankful to her for joining our session today as the expert to share her views, expertise, thoughts and knowledge.
Once again, a very warm welcome to you Ms. Suchandra.
We also open the session for questions after this post.
The first characteristic of an empathetic leader is the ability to listen actively. They listen to understand and not just to reply. By doing so, they create a safe space for their team to express themselves.
Secondly, empathetic leaders are compassionate. They put themselves in their team’s shoes to understand their problems and create solutions that work for all.
Thirdly, empathetic leaders are self-aware. They understand their emotions and how it affects their team. They are not afraid to show vulnerability and share their experiences to inspire their team.
Lastly, empathetic leaders are excellent communicators. They use their emotional intelligence to communicate effectively with their team. They provide feedback constructively and motivate their team to achieve their goals.
Empathy is a critical trait that can make or break a leader.
Hi Gowri… Good question. Psychological safety in the workplace refers to the belief that one can speak up, take risks, and make mistakes without fear of negative consequences. It plays a crucial role in promoting employee well-being, engagement, and performance.
In 2023, psychological safety is expected to become even more important as organizations increasingly prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. These initiatives require that employees feel safe to express their opinions and experiences without fear of retaliation, which necessitates a psychologically safe workplace culture.
Hi Anisha…There has been a lot of research and study on this. Though not all are considered as something to be followed.
Psychological safety refers to a shared belief within a team or organization that it is safe to take interpersonal risks, such as speaking up, asking questions, admitting mistakes, and suggesting new ideas, without fear of negative consequences. Timothy R Clarke in his book The Four Stages Of Psychological Safety describes a conceptual model of four “stages” of psychological safety that teams can move through, progressing from stage 1 to stage 4.
Inclusion Safety: In this stage, people feel included in the team or organization and feel that their contributions are valued. They feel that they belong and are accepted, and they have a sense of being treated fairly.
Learner Safety: In this stage, people feel safe to ask questions, seek feedback, and learn from mistakes. They are comfortable expressing their uncertainty and acknowledging their lack of knowledge or expertise.
Contributor Safety: In this stage, people feel safe to contribute their ideas, perspectives, and opinions without fear of being judged or criticized. They feel that their input is welcomed and respected, even if it is different from the majority view.
Challenger Safety: In this stage, people feel safe to challenge the status quo, offer dissenting opinions, and experiment with new ways of doing things. They are comfortable challenging authority and taking calculated risks, knowing that their contributions will be considered and evaluated based on their merit, rather than on personal biases or political considerations.
It is important to note that these stages are not necessarily linear, and people may move back and forth between them based on their experiences and the dynamics of the team or organization. Creating and maintaining psychological safety requires ongoing effort and attention from leaders and team members.
Here are some signs that can indicate that an employee may be feeling psychologically unsafe:
They are reluctant to share their ideas, opinions, or feedback in meetings or discussions.
They avoid asking questions or seeking clarification when they don’t understand something.
They hesitate to admit mistakes or share failures, fearing that they will be judged or blamed.
They appear disengaged or withdrawn, lacking enthusiasm or energy for their work.
They avoid interacting with their colleagues or manager, preferring to work alone or keeping to themselves.
They experience high levels of stress or anxiety, which may manifest in physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches, or insomnia.
They express a lack of confidence or self-doubt, second-guessing their decisions or actions.
They report feeling unsupported or unappreciated by their manager or team members.
It is important to note that these signs can also be indicators of other issues, such as burnout or interpersonal conflict, and that employees may not always be aware that they are experiencing psychological safety concerns. Therefore, it is important for managers and leaders to regularly check in with their team members and create an environment where employees feel comfortable raising any issues or concerns they may have.
Improving psychological safety requires intentional effort from leaders, team members, and the organization as a whole. Here are some strategies that can help improve psychological safety:
Encourage open communication: Leaders should create an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, ideas, and concerns. This can be achieved by actively listening, asking open-ended questions, and creating opportunities for feedback.
Lead by example: Leaders should model the behavior they want to see in their team members, such as admitting mistakes, showing vulnerability, and encouraging healthy debate.
Foster a learning culture: Encourage ongoing learning and development and provide opportunities for team members to acquire new skills and knowledge.
Establish clear goals and expectations: Set clear expectations for team members and ensure that everyone understands their role and responsibilities.
Celebrate successes and failures: Recognize and celebrate successes, but also acknowledge failures and use them as opportunities for learning and growth.
Address conflict and issues proactively: Address conflicts and issues as soon as they arise and encourage open dialogue to resolve them.
Provide support and resources: Ensure that team members have the resources and support they need to do their job effectively, such as training, coaching, and mentoring.
Regularly check-in with team members: Create opportunities for regular check-ins with team members and encourage open and honest feedback.
By implementing these strategies, organizations can create a culture of psychological safety where team members feel empowered to take risks, share ideas, and learn from their experiences.
Measuring psychological safety in the workplace can be challenging, as it is a subjective experience that can vary from person to person. However, there are several methods that an organization can use to assess psychological safety:
By conducting Employee surveys: Conduct anonymous surveys to gather feedback from employees about their perceptions of psychological safety in the workplace. Questions could include items related to feeling safe to speak up, share opinions, and make mistakes without fear of negative consequences. Questions may include:
Do you feel comfortable speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes?
Do you feel that you are treated with respect and dignity in the workplace?
Do you feel that your contributions are valued and appreciated?
Do you feel that there are consequences for speaking up or taking risks?
Do you feel that your manager and colleagues are open to feedback and willing to learn from mistakes?
Focus groups: Organize focus groups with employees to discuss psychological safety in the workplace, and gather qualitative data on their experiences.
Observations: Managers can observe team dynamics and interactions to get a sense of the level of psychological safety within the team. This could include observing team meetings, one-on-one interactions, and group discussions.
Performance metrics: Look at performance metrics such as turnover rates, absenteeism, and employee engagement to gauge the level of psychological safety in the workplace.
Exit interviews: Conduct exit interviews with departing employees to gather feedback on their experiences with psychological safety in the workplace.
It is important to note that measuring psychological safety is just the first step. Organizations must take action based on the data gathered, and work to continuously improve the level of psychological safety in the workplace.
