Four approaches outlined
Safety has always been the guiding principle for many of our activities in the construction industry. One gas utility executive I worked for used to say to our team, “Everyone goes home the way they came to work.” Clear, to the point, understood by all. Does that mean that every visit to a job site would result in a clean bill of health, and an accident-free environment? Not at all. Despite the focus on safety, I would often observe crew members missing some part of their PPE, or or perhaps a worker unaware of the operation of a piece of equipment. When I managed a construction program for a public agency, I had the trunk of my car filled with spare PPE (hard hats, safety glasses, gloves, reflective vests, ear protection, etc) — just in case an inspector needed something in a pinch. These types of situations will likely resonate with anyone who has visited a construction site, has been responsible for crews, or has attended a construction project status meeting.
So why are safety requirements routinely ignored? It’s rarely due to a lack of materials, or planning, or even understanding. It’s due to a lack of psychological safety. Psychological safety is the ability to raise issues, concerns, challenges, or mistakes without fear of retribution, recrimination, or humiliation. Psychological Safety was a term coined by Amy Edmondson, a professor at Harvard Business School, and led to a two-year study at Google on the keys to great teamwork. From Edmondson’s perspective, psychological safety is what allows teams to go from dysfunctional to functional to exceptional. From my perspective, fostering psychological safety leads to a safer work conditions on a construction site.
Google determined five factors that made for a great team — and they had nothing to do with the number of senior leaders, those with the highest IQs, or even the teams that made the fewest mistakes.
These are the key dynamics they identified:
Psychological Safety – Feeling safe to take risks and be vulnerable in front of each other.
Dependability – Delivering work on time and to quality standards.
Structure and Clarity – Having clear roles, plans, and goals.
Meaning – Finding their work personally important.
Impact – Believing their work matters and creates change.
While all were needed to create a successful team, psychological safety stood out as a the most prominent. In fact, both studies found that the teams that made the most mistakes were more successful when an environment was created that allowed for risk taking and innovation. So, how do we connect psychological safety to physical safety on a construction site? Think about the message I began with, or whatever version is used in your organization – “everyone goes home the way they came to work.” How does that get operationalized when the shovel hits the dirt?
I have observed too many times when the site safety officer is given lip service when highlighting conditions. Unfortunately, there can be a pervasive feeling that we are being “safe enough” or that individual short cuts will not be a problem – until they are. And when an unsafe condition leads to an incident the results can be catastrophic. I would also argue that promoting safety on a job site does not rest solely with the site safety officer. Safety is an “everyone responsibility”. This is where the overlap exists between physical and psychological safety.
Who can raise the issue of an unsafe condition? Are all team members given the authority to stop the work to correct an unsafe condition? Does it feel interpersonally “safe” to bring up a safety issue that might slow down progress or productivity? What reaction would you expect from a Superintendent or Construction Manager if a Helper raised a question about safety during a morning tail-board meeting? These questions get to the heart of creating both types of safety. If you want your teams to work safely, they also need to feel comfortable in raising concerns for their own well-being as well as that of their co-workers.
In my work as a coach and consultant, I help leaders and teams foster psychological safety. Here are four approaches we often work on:
Lead by example. As the leader, I would encourage you to consider alternate perspectives that may differ from your own. It is important to be approachable and reward your team for asking questions and bringing a situation to your attention. Displaying humility by acknowledging your own mistakes and asking for feedback will also create a more open and inclusive environment. Use language like, “please push back if you see it differently” or “help me see what I’m missing here” – and then positively reinforce and reward people who do exactly that.
Encourage active listening. We are often so distracted by the beeping and buzzing of our cell phones that the ability to listen with intent gets lost. Active listening goes beyond hearing the words and includes feedback to ensure that the message was received as intended. In the real world it may sound like “you told me x, y, or z, did I get that right?” Active listening also means listening for hesitations in speaking, and checking in about concerns. “I notice that you seem to be reluctant to talk about what happened at the job site. What can I do to make it safe for you to share that with me?”
Create a safe and inclusive environment. Beyond the physical safety, this is a forum for all ideas to be shared without judgement or blame. The goal, after all, is for your crews to go home with all their fingers and toes. Judgement and blame will only reinforce the inclination to be quiet. The safe environment will also encourage individuals to be creative and come up with innovative solutions. You might be surprised by some of the approaches they suggest. It does not mean that all suggestions can or should be implemented but you might just get a really good one. You also want to be mindful of who you tend to be more open to, and whose suggestions you dismiss. Trust me: everyone notices.
Develop an open mindset. An open mindset will help you and your team get comfortable with receiving feedback and seeing feedback as a means to improvement rather than as criticism. And in viewing feedback as a constructive process, they can begin to provide feedback to others in the way it is intended. As a leader, this open mindset will encourage your team to listen first and consider the feedback before responding.
It is not an easy process to change an existing environment or approach that does not currently reward or encourage the kind of openness and disclosure needed to ensure the physical safety of your teams. Now ask yourself, how safe do you feel? You may feel secure when you “gear up” each morning as you get ready for the day’s work. Now you have some tools to make your team feel psychologically safe too.