In the latest HCI Webinar, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with with Dennis Holland about psychological safety and creating healthy workplace relationships. Below is a summary of the main points from their conversation! Check out the full episode and let us know what you think!
Watch the episode here:
Quick Recap
Jonathan and Dennis discussed the importance of psychological safety and healthy workplace relationships, emphasizing the need for trust, open communication, and mutual respect. They also highlighted the benefits of fostering a psychologically safe environment, including increased engagement, productivity, and retention. Lastly, they announced an upcoming tool designed to measure psychological safety and its impact on employee engagement and retention.
Psychological Safety and Healthy Relationships in Organizations
Jonathan and Dennis discussed the importance of psychological safety and healthy workplace relationships. Jonathan, a professor and consultant, expressed his concern about the lack of trust in various organizations, including universities and corporations. Dennis, the CEO of Quantum Connections, shared his background in helping companies create new markets and overcome challenges. He emphasized the significance of interpersonal relationships in guiding an organization towards success or failure. Dennis also highlighted the influence of renowned relationship experts, Dr. Harville Hendrix and Dr. Helen Le Kelly Hunt, on his career and their book, Getting The Love You Want.
Psychological Safety in the Workplace
Jonathan and Dennis discussed the concept of psychological safety in the workplace. Dennis emphasized the importance of psychological safety, stating that it allows employees to act confidently without fear of ridicule, punishment, or termination. He also highlighted that psychological safety is essential for building strong, positive, and connected relationships among team members. Furthermore, Dennis pointed out that being seen and heard are fundamental elements that create the foundation for psychological safety, which in turn fosters collaboration, creativity, and conflict resolution.
Psychological Safety in the Workplace Discussion
Dennis and Jonathan discussed the concept of psychological safety in the workplace. It involves creating an environment where employees feel safe to voice concerns and share opinions constructively. They emphasized the importance of maintaining social norms and understanding psychological safety does not mean being rude or inconsiderate. Dennis explained they have operationalized a model to help foster positive relationships and peak team performance through practical applications of psychological safety. Fostering this environment leads to benefits like higher engagement, productivity, and retention. They planned to discuss specific examples of organizations successfully implementing strategies to improve workplace culture around psychological safety.
Dialogical Communication for Trust and Connected Relationships
Dennis and Jonathan discussed the significance of dialogical communication in building trust and fostering connected relationships. Dennis shared examples of how this approach has benefited large organizations and emphasized the importance of active listening, curiosity, and modeling this behavior at all levels of an organization. He also expressed enthusiasm about the company's new approach to demonstrating the impact of their actions on the bottom line performance level of other companies. Jonathan agreed with Dennis' points, appreciating the clarity and perspective they provide to the audience.
Dennis Shares Innovative Metric Launch
Jonathan gave Dennis the opportunity to connect with the audience and share more about his work and team. Dennis shared his contact details and encouraged the audience to reach out to him. He also announced a new innovative metric, launching in November, which correlates psychological safety in a company environment with employee engagement, productivity, and retention. This metric, based on a 10,000-person sample, aims to help measure the impact of connected relationships in the workplace.
Listen to the webinar here:
