Leadership
by Amy Edmondson
Why does nobody speak up?
Most of us have kept quiet at work with a question, a worry or an idea. Amy Edmondson, a professor at Harvard Business School, has spent her career on why. Her answer is psychological safety, and she argues it decides whether an organisation learns or repeats its mistakes.
Hear a sample · read by Laura
Edmondson defines it as a shared belief that you won't be punished or humiliated for speaking up with an idea, a question, a concern or a mistake. It's a feature of the group. The same nurse can speak freely on one ward and stay silent on the next.
Speaking up risks looking ignorant, incompetent, intrusive or negative, and the risk is right now. The cost of staying quiet is invisible and comes later, if at all. Edmondson says that's why silence is everyone's default at work, and why a leader who does nothing gets a quiet team.
Psychological safety doesn't mean being nice or lowering the bar. Edmondson sets it against standards on a grid. Safety without standards is the comfort zone. Standards without safety is the anxiety zone. With both, a team is in the learning zone.
Edmondson gives leaders three jobs. Set the stage, by framing the work as complex, so speaking up is plainly needed. Invite participation, by admitting what you don't know and asking real questions. Then respond productively when people do speak up, with thanks, even when the news is bad.
Speaking up
Psychological safety means people feel they can speak up at work without being punished or mocked.
More errors
Edmondson found better hospital teams reported more errors, because people felt safe admitting them.
Silence
When unsure, most people stay quiet at work, because keeping silent feels safer.
Set the stage
Leaders should say outright that the work is uncertain and they need to hear from everyone.
Invite input
Ask real questions and listen closely, so people know their input is wanted.
A story from the book
As a young researcher, Edmondson studied hospital teams, expecting the best ones to make the fewest drug errors. The data showed the opposite. The better teams reported more. They weren't making more mistakes. They felt safe enough to admit them, which meant they could fix them.
One thing to try
, then wait out the silence. Edmondson calls this proactive inquiry. A real question shows people you actually want the answer.
Knotd has the key ideas from 250+ non-fiction books, each in a few minutes, in plain words. The Fearless Organization comes with a Spot the Trap case and a Your Move story to make it stick.
Get the whole book on KnotdOpen in the appWhy does nobody speak up? Most of us have kept quiet at work with a question, a worry or an idea. Amy Edmondson, a professor at Harvard Business School, has spent her career on why. Her answer is psychological safety, and she argues it decides whether an organisation learns or repeats its mistakes.
Psychological safety; Why silence wins; Safe is not soft; The leader's toolkit.
, then wait out the silence. Edmondson calls this proactive inquiry. A real question shows people you actually want the answer.
Yes. Knotd has the key ideas from The Fearless Organization in a few minutes, in plain words, plus a Spot the Trap case and a Your Move story to test them. It's one of 250+ non-fiction books in the app.
