Psychological Safety in the Workplace: The Cornerstone of Inclusivity

When considering team performance, workplace leaders often focus on the dependability of the team, as well as the impact of the work they’re doing and the structures in place around them. But Michael Baran, founder and CEO of Iris Inclusion, brought psychological safety to the forefront of the conversation during his June 25 session at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2024 in Chicago.

He cited a study conducted by Google, called Project Aristotle, that found psychological safety—the cornerstone of inclusivity, according to Baran—to be the most crucial factor influencing a team’s performance. And to achieve psychological safety and create an inclusive work culture, everyone needs to feel valued and respected, Baran explained.

What Does a Culture of Psychological Safety Look Like? 

Baran defined a workplace culture of psychological safety as one that exhibits the following: 

• Mistakes are communicated quickly, employees learn from them, and adjustments can be made. 
• Multiple unique perspectives are considered when solving complex problems. Feedback can be given candidly, saving time and avoiding miscommunication. 
• Employees aren’t afraid to speak up—to contribute all their ideas, take risks, and point out problems. 

An inclusive culture comes from psychological safety, Baran said. Employees feel welcomed, heard, valued, understood, respected, and supported.

The Three Phases of Inclusion

Baran explained that workplaces generally fall into one of three phases along an exclusion/inclusion spectrum. Each phase coincides with lower, moderate, and higher levels of psychological safety, respectively. 

1. Blatant exclusion.
2. Silent and/or subtle exclusion.
3. Active inclusion and real connections.

Most organizations he’s worked with initially fall into phase two, which can be difficult to manage because subtle exclusion often doesn’t get reported and is more difficult to spot. When employees feel excluded, they tend to get quiet, isolate themselves, withhold information, go public with their experiences, and/or quit. 

Baran’s work involves taking organizations to phase three—but active inclusion does not mean that exclusion never happens. The third phase reflects a workplace culture in which exclusivity is addressed when it happens so that employees can immediately learn from it and maintain positive relationships. 

Creating a Psychologically Safe and Inclusive Culture

Baran outlined this three-part framework to help workplace leaders move their organizations toward phase three: 

1. Proactively invest in relationships. 

Building relationships should go beyond small talk, Baran said. Asking open-ended questions—and encouraging your team to do the same—is a great place to start. For example: What’s one thing you would like me to know about you so that we can work better together? Or, what do you see me doing that helps me best contribute to the team?

“Even if you’ve worked with someone for 10, 15, or 20 years, [there are] so many things we learn about each other when we actually take the time to intentionally connect,” Baran said. 

He also emphasized the importance of authenticity and incorporating feedback from these conversations. 

“If you’re just asking a checklist of questions and not really paying attention to what people are saying—and then you just go about business as usual following that—you probably eroded more trust than you’ve built,” Baran explained. 

2. Respond to every incident. 

Exclusionary acts or comments will occur in the workplace—often unintentionally—so it’s vital to respond promptly. Baron outlined a sequential way to address exclusion in the moment it occurs: Stop the conversation, explain that you’re assuming the person’s intentions were good, open a dialogue, and then explain how the incident made you or the recipient feel.

These steps will look slightly different depending on context, but the idea is to speak up by calling in the person while calling out their behavior.

If you are the one receiving feedback, Baran said to practice gratitude. “Somebody took the time to tell you a way you could be more inclusive with them,” he said.  “What a gift that really is.” 

3. Plan ahead, intentionally and explicitly. 

An inclusive workplace will have structures in place that prevent acts of exclusion and promote psychological safety. Baran suggested creating and implementing these structures by doing the following: 

• Audit policies and practices to root out bias (conscious or unconscious) and increase equity.
• Uncover and align on shared values, organizational culture, and expectations for collaboration. 
• When appropriate, put structures in place for sustainability (such as councils, departments, or clubs)—and be sure to value and resource them appropriately.
• Demonstrate and encourage inclusive actions at every turn by speaking up, practicing allyship, and making productive mistakes. Start with leadership—they set the tone for the organization and are the best models.

When an organization reaches phase three of Baran’s inclusion framework, employees at every level will feel a sense of belonging and the safety to be themselves. They will also be more comfortable taking risks like sharing ideas and trying new and difficult things.

“The good news is we can do it,” Baran said. “We can get there. It just takes intentionality, and it takes some work.”