Psychological Safety
Self-actualized Agile teams must provide space for people to disagree, voice concerns, experiment, and take risks. Learn more below.
Last updated
Self-actualized Agile teams must provide space for people to disagree, voice concerns, experiment, and take risks. Learn more below.
Last updated
Coming soon
We are all the way at the bottom. Psychological safety is the first thing that must be built in order to build self-actualized Agile teams.
Psychological Safety is the core foundation on all Agile teams. No one should tell anyone what to do. Rather, people need to build consensus and celebrate different perspectives to grow on Agile teams.
Psychological safety builds the sense of security and belonging throughout the team.
Make every member of the team feel like they have room to speak their mind.
Actively listen when others have things to say, and make team feel like their voice matters.
Give people the room for people to bring their own personalities and unique capabilities to the table in the way THEY want to do so.
Allow room for team mates to challenge the status quo, and experiment with new ways of working.
Encourage failing “fast”, i.e. failure and quick reflection and quick adjustment based on what the team thinks they should do.
Let people take the risks that THEY decide to take, that could lead to failure or disaster, for the purposes of allowing them to build up decision making prowess.
Here's a video about psychological safety and agile:
Trust is the willingness to be vulnerable with others. Trust sits at the bottom of every organization and is the foundation in which a company operates. There’s the basic kind of trust: the company trusts that you will show up to work and that you’ll work your required hours. Then, there is a deeper level of trust: a trust that requires vulnerability with the people you work with. This requires a belief that you can do things like make mistakes, ask for help, and take risks without being afraid of their reaction. Now, here’s the interesting part: being vulnerable actually builds trust. So, the more open you are, the more people will trust you.
Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s perspective or circumstance whether or not you agree with this person. Possessing empathy means having the ability to put yourself into another person’s shoes and see things from this person’s perspective. Empathy is a team value that promotes high commitment and cooperation in the workplace.
Respect is the act of showing esteem and regard for an individual and treating a person with dignity. Showing respect allows the flow of diverse and different thinking, ideas, and solutions. Showing respect is about showing respect for everyone on the team, not just the ones you like or think like you.
Openness is the ability to have an open mind, the willingness to listen to other people’s ideas, and being able to freely express yourself without fear or intimidation. It also means being in touch with your own feelings and being willing to try new things. Openness means being inwardly receptive to new things and outwardly transparent with your team.
Courage can be defined as the strength to persevere, such as taking action or speaking up, in the face of danger, fear, or difficulty. Having courage means you speak up and share your ideas even though it is different from your team members or that you speak and suggest to the team to pause work when something is not working. Courage is the willingness to stand on your values and decide which of them you are willing to bend if the occasion warrants it.