It says a lot about the importance of inclusion that it’s the first of the four-stage developmental model of psychological safety by social scientist Dr Timothy Clark. He defines psychological safety as a shared sense that a team or group is safe for interpersonal risk-taking – where people feel included, able to learn, able to contribute, and able to challenge the status quo without fear of negative consequence.
Clark argues that you need to build the earlier stages before the later ones can reliably function – that is, you can only effectively challenge if you already feel included, safe to learn, and safe to contribute.
Inclusion Safety is about satisfying the basic need to be included and accepted. It’s marked by respectful interactions, recognition of diversity and a sense of belonging for employees.
We place a significant focus on Inclusion Safety in our workshops for leaders on building psychological safety. Why? Because people from under-represented and marginalised groups are more likely to experience lower levels of psychological safety.
The pressure to self-censor is higher if we’re in the numerical minority or different from everybody else – one of the ‘only’s’.
The five techniques to build inclusion safety shared by Timothy Clark apply in any social setting. Given what we know about working in diverse teams, they also underscore the importance of micro-validations (subtle acts or words that encourage or affirm the contributions of others) that can help counter micro-aggressions in the workplace.
- Listen and pause: listen with intent to comprehend rather than the intent to respond.
- Ask twice as much as you tell: When you ask someone a question, it’s an invitation to engage and a form of validation.
- Avoid comparisons and competitions: They reduce the ability to connect.
- Express gratitude and appreciation: recognise efforts when others perform well and respond with empathy when others try hard but fail to meet their goals.
- Identify negative bias: Work hard to challenge negative biases about individuals or groups of people.
Timothy Clark writes: ‘As the basic glue of human society, inclusion safety offers the comforting assurance that you matter. If you’re a leader and want your people to perform, you must internalise the universal truth that people want, need, and deserve validation.’
In Australian workplaces, creating an environment where it’s safe to speak up is also the glue for the positive duty to eliminate sexual harassment and discrimination, and health and safety reforms requiring employers to identify and mitigate psychosocial hazards such as low job control or exposure to traumatic events or material.
To learn more about our workshops on building psychological safety, please contact us at info@diversitypartners.com.au.