Psychological Safety in Family Enterprises
The term “psychological safety” originated in the 1960s and has been explored more recently by Harvard professor Amy Edmondson who looked at psychological safety in teams. According to Edmondson, psychological safety is “a sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass, reject or punish someone for speaking up… It described a team climate characterized by interpersonal trust and mutual respect in which people are comfortable being themselves.”[1]
Now substitute the word “family” for “team” in the above quote. In a family business you have the intersection of family and business in a team environment. Any issues at home can and will be brought into the workplace. Unaddressed issues can fester and grow, leading to serious problems and sometimes the end of the business.
In a 2014 article, Edmondson and Lei wrote they observed that when psychological safety was present:
Performance was better, especially where creativity and collaboration are needed
Learning outcomes were improved due to reduced interpersonal risk
People speak up more (which has been shown to feel risky)
The third point is especially important because “employees can help challenge the status quo, identify problems or opportunities for improvement, and offer ideas to improve their organizations’ well-being.” Yet, sometimes in family enterprises, family dynamics make sharing more risky, not less.
Family dynamics include sibling rivalry, patterns of behaviour, family ‘rules’, and roles. If you do not work with your family these subtleties don’t pose a problem (at least at work). Yet, if you do work with family, it is hard to leave these dynamics behind when you go to work. Changing a habit is hard, but it can be done. Psychological safety is important for high-functioning teams. Arguably the same holds true for high-functioning families. The reality is psychological safety in family enterprises starts at home.
How can you tell if your family enterprise exhibits psychological safety? Below are 10 statements designed for individual team members to rate. These can be adapted for a family enterprise. The 10 statements are:
On this team, I understand what is expected of me.
We value outcomes more than outputs or inputs, and nobody needs to “look busy”.
If I make a mistake on this team, it is never held against me.
When something goes wrong, we work as a team to find the systemic cause.
All members of this team feel able to bring up problems and tough issues.
Members of this team never reject others for being different and nobody is left out.
It is safe for me to take a risk on this team.
It is easy for me to ask other members of this team for help.
Nobody on this team would deliberately act in a way that undermines my efforts.
Working with members of this team, my unique skills and talents are valued and utilised.
(Follow the link above for more details on how to implement the questionnaire.)
Achieving psychological safety takes time and attention. In 2020 Timothy Clark created the 4 Stages of Psychological Safety Framework. Clark states, “We thrive in environments that respect us and allow us to (1) feel included, (2) feel safe to learn, (3) feel safe to contribute, and (4) feel safe to challenge the status quo. If we can’t do these things, if it’s emotionally expensive, fear shuts us down. We’re not happy and we’re not reaching our potential. But when the environment nurtures psychological safety, there’s an explosion of confidence, engagement, and performance. Ask yourself if you feel included, safe to learn, safe to contribute, and safe to challenge the status quo. Finally, ask yourself if you’re creating an environment where others can do these four things. In the process, look around and see others with respect and fresh amazement, find deeper communion in your relationships, and more happiness and satisfaction in your own life.”
So, what can you do to improve the psychological safety in your family enterprise? Here are a few tips to consider:
Recognize negative family dynamics and strive to change them
Show vulnerability
Listen and seek to understand
Be sensitive to other’s feelings
Foster accountability that minimizes negativity and blaming
Use the above questionnaire
[1] Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350-383. doi:10.2307/2666999