Tag: Psychological Safety

Psychological Safety, Leadership, and Continuous Improvement

TL;DR: Psychological safety isn’t about comfort—it’s about creating the conditions where people can speak up, solve problems, and improve systems.

Psychological safety is the foundation of learning, quality, and continuous improvement. When people fear blame, embarrassment, or punishment, problems stay hidden and improvement stalls. When people feel safe to speak up, organizations learn faster and perform better.

These posts explore psychological safety through a Lean leadership lens—connecting daily behaviors, system design, mistake response, and respect for people. Drawing from healthcare, manufacturing, aviation, and executive leadership, this archive focuses on how leaders create (or destroy) the conditions for honest dialogue, problem solving, and sustainable improvement.

No, You Can’t Have Too Much Psychological Safety at Work

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TL;DR: Claims that workplaces can have "too much" psychological safety are based on a flawed definition. Psychological safety doesn't eliminate accountability--it enables speaking up,...

How to Build a Culture of Learning: Reducing Fear and Futility...

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TL;DR: A true culture of learning doesn't fear mistakes--it learns from them. Drawing inspiration from Toyota's mindset, this post explores how psychological safety and...

Psychological Safety in Aerospace Manufacturing: How Silence Can Turn Deadly

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TL;DR: Psychological safety in aerospace manufacturing isn't optional--it's a matter of life and death. When workers are punished for speaking up about quality problems,...

Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape: January 12, 2024

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Thanks as always to Ryan McCormack for this... there's always so much good reading, listening, and viewing shared here by him! Subscribe to get...

Amy Edmondson on Learning From Mistakes, Failing Well, and Psychological Safety

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I don't share every episode of the "My Favorite Mistake" podcast here, but today's new episode has great connections to Lean, I think. Or,...

Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape: November 3rd, 2023

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Thanks as always to Ryan McCormack for this... there's always so much good reading, listening, and viewing shared here by him! Subscribe to get...

Celebration of Errors From Aerospace to Tech Companies: The Lean Journey...

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Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #489 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Ward Vuillemot, a seasoned...

Cultivating Psychological Safety: How Leaders Can Encourage Openness About Mistakes

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TL;DR: Psychological safety isn't created by slogans--it's created by leader behavior. When leaders respond to mistakes with curiosity, empathy, and support instead of punishment,...

Healthcare Excellence Requires Problem-Solving and Psychological Safety

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TL;DR: Healthcare excellence depends on psychological safety and strong problem-solving. When clinicians and staff feel safe to speak up about mistakes and risks, organizations...

Ryan McCormack’s Operational Excellence Mixtape: August 25th, 2023

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Thanks as always to Ryan McCormack for this... there's always so much good reading, listening, and viewing shared here by him! Subscribe to get...

Speaking Up Isn’t a Matter of Character or Courage–It’s Driven by...

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tl;dr: In this post, Mark challenges the common notion that speaking up in an organization is solely a matter of individual character or courage....

PDSA Only Works When Psychological Safety Is Present

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TL;DR: PDSA only works when people feel safe to surface problems, test ideas, and admit when something didn't work. PDSA is supposed to be the...
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