In a Gallup poll, only 3 in 10 employees strongly agreed that their opinions count at work.
That number should concern any leader pursuing Lean or continuous improvement–because without psychological safety, it's nearly impossible for Lean to take root, let alone thrive.
That's the theme of my new article published by the Shingo Institute:
Psychological Safety: The Foundation for Lean and Continuous Improvement
And I'll be discussing this topic in an upcoming webinar:
Psychological Safety as the Foundation of Continuous Improvement
Date: April 22, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM (Eastern)
Register here: Zoom Webinar Link
Scroll down for an AI-generated summary of the session. A recording will be available soon.
Lean Without Psychological Safety is Doomed to Fail
In my work across industries–healthcare, manufacturing, tech–I've seen how psychological safety is the often-missing precondition for sustained improvement.
It's not enough to install daily huddle boards, Andon cords, or improvement systems. Without a culture where people feel safe to speak up, admit mistakes, and test new ideas, these tools become just that–tools, without impact.
I wrote about one such hospital where the boards were perfectly installed, but months later, still empty. Why? Fear and futility. Fear of being blamed, and a sense that speaking up wouldn't lead to change.
That's not a people problem–it's a leadership problem.
Building Safety Through the Shingo Lens
In the article, I explore how five Shingo Guiding Principles support psychological safety and continuous improvement:
- Respect Every Individual – Not just about civility, but about creating space where people truly feel heard and valued.
- Lead with Humility – Leaders who admit mistakes and seek feedback model the behavior they want to see.
- Seek Perfection – Not by avoiding failure, but by encouraging small, safe experiments and learning from what doesn't work.
- Embrace Scientific Thinking – Psychological safety is what allows us to truly follow the PDCA / PDSA cycle.
- Focus on Process – The best organizations ask, “What went wrong in the system?” not, “Who messed up?”
These are not just abstract principles–they're practical and essential.
Recognizing Mistakes as Learning
This topic ties closely to my most recent book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation. I'm incredibly honored that the Shingo Institute has selected the book to receive a Shingo Publication Award, which I'll be accepting formally at the 2025 Annual Shingo Conference on April 29th.
Mistakes are inevitable. Learning from them is a choice. And organizations that choose learning over blame are the ones that thrive.
Join the Conversation
If you're a Lean leader or change agent striving to create a safer, more innovative culture, I hope you'll join the upcoming webinar.
We'll explore:
- How leaders can create safety by modeling humility and respect
- The connection between psychological safety and real PDCA cycles
- Practical steps to shift from a culture of fear to one of improvement
Final Thought
Ask yourself and your team:
- How safe is it to raise concerns or admit mistakes?
- Are your systems designed to learn, or to punish?
- Do people feel their voices matter?
True Lean is about people first. And when people feel safe to improve, the organization improves with them.
Webinar Summary:
Psychological Safety as a Foundation for Lean: Insights from the Shingo Institute Presentation by Mark Graban
At a recent Shingo Institute webinar, held in recognition of The Mistakes That Make Us receiving the Shingo Publication Award, author and speaker Mark Graban delivered a powerful and concise presentation on a theme that underpins all successful continuous improvement efforts: psychological safety.
The session, hosted by Mary Price, Director of Events and Marketing at the Shingo Institute, set the stage for reflection on the role of culture, leadership, and systems thinking in Lean and Toyota-style management. What followed was a 20-minute talk packed with practical insights and hard-earned wisdom, followed by a rich, extended Q&A session that further brought the concepts to life.
Defining the Foundation: What Is Psychological Safety?
Graban began by grounding the audience in Amy Edmondson‘s now widely cited definition of psychological safety:
a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.
He clarified this isn't just an abstract idea–it's a lived experience. “It's not the space that's safe,” he emphasized, “it's the people who help you feel safe or not.”
He then connected this to Lean thinking by referencing Toyota Culture by Jeff Liker and Mike Hoseus, pointing out that without trust in leadership, employees often learn that hiding problems is safer than surfacing them–a dynamic Graban witnessed firsthand early in his career at General Motors.
From Japan to Georgetown: Learning from Toyota
Drawing on his visits to Toyota plants and Japanese hospitals, Graban shared vivid examples of how organizations can encourage the reporting of incidents and use those as learning opportunities. He illustrated this with data from a hospital near Toyota headquarters and a U.S. health system that adopted a similar “safety stop” system.
The result?
A 50% reduction in serious safety events over 12 months–proof that psychological safety combined with problem solving leads to better outcomes.
Graban stressed that tools like the andon cord or Kaizen boards only have value when paired with a culture that supports their use. At Toyota, pulling the andon cord prompts help–not blame. But merely installing the cord (as seen at a Ford plant) doesn't ensure the same behavioral norms.
The Real Barriers to Speaking Up
In an anonymous poll conducted during the session, attendees identified the biggest obstacles to speaking up: futility and fear. This mirrors the findings of researcher Ethan Burris, whose work shows that many employees stay silent not because they're afraid, but because they've spoken up before and nothing changed.
Graban urged leaders to reflect: “If we've trained people in problem solving but no one is surfacing problems, maybe the problem isn't the skillset–it's psychological safety.”
Kindness over Niceness
Graban distinguished between punitive, nice, and kind responses to mistakes–arguing that being “nice” often stops short of being helpful. “Kindness,” he said, “means we're constructively working to understand and prevent the mistake from happening again.”
This point resonated with the audience and led to a poll showing that while punitive responses are still common, most workplaces fall somewhere between “nice” and “kind.” The aspiration, he noted, is to build organizations where kindness–meaning constructive, improvement-oriented responses–becomes the norm.
The Four Stages of Psychological Safety
Drawing on Timothy R. Clark's Four Stages of Psychological Safety, Graban outlined a clear developmental path:
- Inclusion Safety – feeling accepted and respected,
- Learner Safety – feeling safe to ask questions and admit mistakes,
- Contributor Safety – being trusted to add value without micromanagement,
- Challenger Safety – having the courage (and safety) to question the status quo.
In an interactive poll, attendees rated their own organizations on these four levels–revealing a typical pattern: high scores for inclusion and lower ones for challenger safety.
Q&A Highlights: Real-World Application
During the extended Q&A, several key questions brought out deeper insights:
- How do you start the culture shift in a “firefighting” environment?
Graban emphasized the importance of closing the loop–problem identification is only part of the journey. Without effective problem solving, organizations will remain stuck in reactive cycles. - How do you bring senior leaders on board?
“Start with the business case,” he advised. Referencing Google's Project Aristotle and Edmondson's research, he made it clear: psychological safety leads to better performance and innovation. - What if even senior leaders don't feel safe?
“That's not uncommon,” Graban said. He urged reflection and candid dialogue within leadership teams, noting that when the top doesn't feel safe, the dysfunction ripples outward. - Can psychological safety reduce turnover?
Absolutely. “People stay in organizations where they feel respected and involved,” he said. Low safety often leads directly to high attrition. - Can we measure psychological safety?
Yes, with tools like Edmondson's survey or Timothy Clark's Four Stages assessment. But Graban cautioned against using results to punish low scores, advocating instead for curiosity and coaching. - Is it appropriate to celebrate those who speak up?
“Yes,” he said, especially when it includes sharing what was learned and how the issue was addressed–not just the speaking up itself.
A Culture of Candor and Vulnerability
In closing, Graban returned to a theme that ties everything together: modeling behaviors, including candor and vulnerability. Leaders must go first, saying things like:
- “I made a mistake.”
- “I don't know.”
- “I might be wrong. Let's go test it.”
Psychological safety isn't about perfection–it's about progress. And the most effective leaders are those who create the space for others to learn, grow, and speak up without fear.
For more on Mark Graban's work, including slides and resources from this session, visit markgraban.com/shingo2025.
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Check out my latest book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation:
