Working on psychological safety

Thanks to everyone's support, our visual novel company profile
has recently been getting a bit of buzz in certain circles . I usually dislike being photographed, so I refused to appear in it, but after seeing the finished product , I've become very interested in appearing in the next project . This is Sato from the System Development Department.

Well

The term "psychological safety " is something we hear a lot these days . It's considered important for working effectively in a team. If you're wondering, "What's that? Is it delicious?", feel free to completely ignore this!

Recently, the Beyond Development Department has begun working on "psychological safety" as a team. Since I 'm no longer the kind of person who can handle constantly high-pressure work environments, this has been a great opportunity for me. This time , I'd like to write about what kind of mindset is important, based on what I've learned from training and books.

What is psychological safety?

It seems that psychological safety is a state in which people feel safe expressing their thoughts and feelings to anyone . Google, a global company, also started working on this in 2012 and has concluded that teams with high psychological safety have lower turnover rates and higher profitability

It seems like killing two birds with one stone ! There's no reason not to try it. I mean, I already know that, and I do it all the time anyway. That's what I thought.

The results of the team training..

It was quite different from what I had imagined.I'll do my best from now on. I'm sorry m(_ _)m

Basic Concept

The goal is to create a team where members can engage in healthy discussions and focus on productive, high-quality work.
Teams that can achieve this are considered to have a high level of psychological safety.

However, the reality is...
interpersonal relationships are awkward, the hierarchy is brutal, hard work goes unrewarded, it's pointless to say anything, you just want to go home, and so on...

Most companies have various interpersonal relationships to varying degrees, and even though we understand this intellectually, things don't always go as ideally as we'd like.
Many Japanese people are the type who don't want to cause trouble, and especially when you're young, you might lack confidence and end up holding back and not saying what you want to say.Poison.

Working towards a common goal, sharing ideas, and tackling problems together. That's what a team is all about. It's a shame when everyone has a great idea but it doesn't come to fruition

What should I do?

So, let's think about how we can achieve these two things: 1) healthy exchange of opinions , and 2) focusing our efforts on productive and good work !

First, in order to have a healthy exchange of opinions, I believe it's necessary for everyone, not just certain individuals, to feel that they are being heard, that their opinions are being listened to carefully, and that good ideas are being taken into consideration .

>The results of the team training were...
>quite different from what I expected.I'll do my best from now on. I'm sorry m(_ _)m

I deeply regret that not everyone was able to perceive the significant discrepancy between my expectations and reality

In terms of specific ways of thinking and behavior, I would like to consciously start by changing these things

- Ease of conversation: Speaking, listening, nodding, making eye contact while listening to reports, interjecting small talk, etc. ( This is what's called active listening .)

- Helping
each other, giving advice, identifying problems, enjoying troubles, asking for help, responding to help, etc.

for challenges
, providing opportunities, trying things out, improving, being creative, welcoming change, etc.

- We welcome new ideas and the ability to embrace new things , allow individuals to express their individuality, assign roles that match their strengths, and do not cling to conventional wisdom, etc

As a result, you won't be distracted or waste time on trivial things, allowing you to focus your energy on productive and good work . I'm sure that's what will happen

Important things

・Cold team

→ My work is tough and I can't relax. Stress level: 100%

・Tough team

→ My work is rewarding, but I feel uneasy. Stress level: 70%

・A weak team

→I don't get told off even if I produce low-quality output, and deadlines are relaxed, so it's a comfortable place to work

My perceived stress level is 20% (but my productivity is so low that it's not recognized)

Learning team

→ There are difficult tasks, but somehow I can look forward. I want to work for a team that recognizes me! Stress level: 0-100%*

*When work is difficult, you may feel stressed, but don't let it drag you down. Learn from your mistakes

summary

It's a much more complex topic than I realize, so I apologize if this article ends up being superficial

Because we see each other every day and our presence on the team becomes commonplace, we tend to assume that our team members understand each other without us having to say anything.
That's whyit was necessary for us to consciously change how we interact with and support each other.

Now that online working is becoming more common, it may be time to reconsider casual communication

In the end, these words really fit!

"Everyone is different, everyone is good"

After this, I hope to be able to report back to you on how the team has fared as a result of changing our mindset and actions over the next six months or so

Our development team's website has been launched.
We offer a one-stop service from server design and construction to operation, so please feel free to contact us if you have any problems with server-side development.
SEKARAKU Lab:https://sekarakulab.beyondjapan.com/

See you next time!

Reference book: How to Create Psychological Safety (by Ryosuke Ishii)

https://www.flierinc.com/summary/2468 (I learned a lot! Thank you!)