AMAV VICDOC Winter 2024 - Magazine - Page 13
P SYC H O LO G I CA L SA F E T Y I N T EA M S
NURTURING PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY IN TEAMS
interpersonal risks without fear of negative
repercussions. It's widely accepted that
The role presented multiple points of
when psychological safety is present in
growth for Kerryn, particularly around her workplaces it creates a more innovative,
approach to engagement and collaboration. stronger community.
Finding ways to bring staff on the journey
Kerryn nurtured her team’s psychological
was fundamental to the service’s successful
safety by approaching their issues
growth and service delivery.
with curiosity, ensuring their issues or
“I was an introvert by nature. And one
requirements were seen and addressed,
of the missing pieces of the puzzle for me
using ‘we-centric’ language to increase
as a leader of a big, rapidly expanded team
connection and a sense of unity, and
doing such important work in very trying
working closely with line managers to
social and physical circumstances was
ensure they were taking a similar approach.
that I needed to communicate more.
“Supporting people to feel completely
My team needed me to be right out
safe to speak up and raise issues in a
in front for them.”
safe and respectful way isn’t just the
“My approach included communicating
right thing to do, it's critical to success.
uncertainty with confidence, and bringing
Building that in our team meant we were
higher level executives into the visible
able to mitigate a number of risks around
communication, so that the team knew
COVID-19 and our expanded service
they were seen, and that their needs were
delivery and start to see challenges
understood. It was also about leaning into
as opportunities.”
our shared values more. I now actually
Since May 2023, Kerryn has been
test as an extrovert, so it has completely
Medical Director of the Medical
changed me.”
Workforce Unit and Deputy Chief Medical
Kerryn also realised that she needed
Officer at Austin Health. In this role, she
to optimise her teams’ sense of
focuses on managing junior and senior
psychological safety.
medical staff and medical education,
“I was leading departments within
fostering organisational culture, and
pathology that were very different to
focusing on retaining Austin Health’s
where I'd come from. I recognised my
reputation as an employer of choice.
role was to empower and enable experts
“Ultimately, I've learned to be
there by building psychological safety
more confident in the way I approach
and reducing barriers and silos, and to
relationships and to work more productively
create a greater sense of certainty and
in challenging environments by becoming
safety in challenging times.”
adept at negotiation. If you work in a
The notion of psychological safety was
large organisation, there's the opportunity
developed by Harvard Business School
to work with people from a variety of
professor Amy Edmondson in 1999. It
disciplines and backgrounds, and often
pivots on the notion that when a team
we're all trying to solve very similar
experiences high psychological safety, its
members feel safe to speak up and take
problems. That’s exciting.”
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VI CD O C WI NTER 2024
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