WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY FROM MY DENTAL HYGIENIST

A few months back, I went to the dentist for my standard six-month cleaning. I generally don’t have a fear of the dentist, but for those who do, you may want to skip to the end of this article. As I sat in the dentist chair, I was reminded about the cleaning that had taken place one year previous that almost had me calling around for a new dental practice. On that occasion, all was going as usual, but after about an hour of attention to my teeth, I began to wonder why the dental hygienist was still scraping away, sometimes going back to spots I could have sworn she already cleaned. I generally am on top of my oral hygiene, so when this process took three times as long as usual, I knew something was up. When she finally finished (to my great relief) and the dentist came in, I realized that my experience was directly related to the relationship she had with her superior. I could tell from their interaction that she was so worried about making a mistake or missing a spot that it was impacting her ability to do her job as well as my experience as the customer.

What I realized that day in the dental chair was that I was witnessing firsthand what it feels like to work in an environment that is not psychologically safe. For those not familiar with the concept of psychological safety, the term was coined by Amy Edmonson, who defines it as “a belief that one will not be punished for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes”. It is not uncommon to find this lacking in high pressure professions such as the medical field, where Edmonson first took on this research. I highly suggest her Ted Talk where she further explores this concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhoLuui9gX8. As Edmonson’s research evolved, the application of the concept spread to be useful across numerous industries and types of teams. In fact, in 2016, Google did their own research on their most effective teams and found that psychological safety was the most important predictor of team success (https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/magazine/what-google-learned-from-its-quest-to-build-the-perfect-team.html).

Teams that are interested not only in assessing their psychological safety but improving it might consider taking the Fearless Organization Scan Assessment. The scan breaks down responses into four dimensions: Inclusion and diversity, attitude to risk and failure, willingness to help, and open conversation. A certified practitioner can assist a team in interpreting their results and setting up shared intentions and actions to move the team towards the learning zone (the place where psychological safety meets performance – read more here: https://amycedmondson.com/psychological-safety-%E2%89%A0-anything-goes/). Does that like something your team might benefit from? Maybe give it some thought next time you find yourself in the dental chair?