You Should Read This (#3): The Fearless Organization

In episode 3 of You Should Read This, Richard Atherton and Tom van der Lubbe review a book that already had impact in the world of business: The Fearless Organization by Amy C. Edmondson. 

The Fearless Organization

In The Fearless Organization by Amy C. Edmondson ‘psychological safety’ was introduced to a wide public. Many companies around the world, i.e. Google, have introduced this term on the work floor. Richard & Tom take a deep dive into this book and explain what business leaders and companies can learn from it.

Culture of psychological safety

This book explores this culture of psychological safety, and provides a blueprint for bringing it to life. The road is sometimes bumpy, but succinct and informative scenario-based explanations provide a clear path forward to constant learning and healthy innovation.

‘The Fearless Organization’ offers practical guidance for teams and organizations who are serious about success in the modern economy. With so much riding on innovation, creativity, and spark, it is essential to attract and retain quality talent—but what good does this talent do if no one is able to speak their mind?

Knowledge economy

The traditional culture of “fitting in” and “going along” spells doom in the knowledge economy. Success requires a continuous influx of new ideas, new challenges, and critical thought, and the interpersonal climate must not suppress, silence, ridicule or intimidate. Not every idea is good, and yes there are stupid questions, and yes dissent can slow things down, but talking through these things is an essential part of the creative process.

People must be allowed to voice half-finished thoughts, ask questions from left field, and brainstorm out loud; it creates a culture in which a minor flub or momentary lapse is no big deal, and where actual mistakes are owned and corrected, and where the next left-field idea could be the next big thing.

Used source for this article: Wiley (publisher of The Fearless Organization)