Background:
Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, a chair established to support the study of human interactions that lead to the creation of successful enterprises that contribute to the betterment of society.
Edmondson has been recognized by the biannual Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 and was honored with the Talent Award in 2017. If you are not familiar with Thinkers50 it has been described as “The Oscars of Management Thinking.” This year (2019) Amy Edmondson is nominated for the Breakthrough Idea award. Her work on psychological safety is considered to be thinking that has the potential to change the world.
Dr. Edmondson studies teaming, psychological safety, and leadership, and her articles have been published in numerous academic and management outlets, including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Harvard Business Review and California Management Review. Her new book,The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth (Wiley, 2018), offers a practical guide for organizations serious about success in the modern economy. Edmondson received her PhD in organizational behavior from Harvard University.
In this episode we explore:
Amy's unexpected journey to discovering the importance of psychological safety
Why fear is not an effective motivator for learning, teamwork, and innovation
A closer look at organizations like Pixar and how they have built strong psychological safety within their teams
How psychological safety is a catalyst for courage
Practical strategies for creating psychological safety
How leaders can make, or break, psychological safety within organizational cultures
And more!
People, references, and resources mentioned: