“For safety is not a gadget but a state of mind”

Second only to the basic need for food, water and what is required to sustain physical life, safety and security are the next step in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.  In other words one cannot love or feel belonging or achieve a level of esteem without having the warmth of safety much less attain self-actualization.

More recently, team safety has come to be defined as Inclusive.

There are three components of team safety:

• Sociological — “developing and maintaining friendly social bonds is a fundamental organizing principle of human behavior”
• Psychological — “defined as a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking”
• Physiological — “relating to the way in which a living organism or bodily part functions”

If members do not feel ‘safe’ then the team is not capable of high performance.  Moreover, the synergistic value that can be derived from team diversity can not be captured.

Attaining Safety

While the need to be safe is coded in our DNA so to speak, we are not inherently safe.  Individuals as well as teams must be proactive to reach situational safety.

We are Mindful when we are in touch with ourselves and the environment through nurturing feelings.  Interesting, being mindful is a major requirement of High Reliability Organization/Team.  High reliability is a necessary ingredient for an organization’s Safety Culture and by extension its Teams (including third party ecosystem members).

Safety is a learned behavior.  Therefore, effective training and ongoing reinforcement are necessary. Moreover, realistic scenarios are mandatory making the learning process relevant.

Take the following maturity assessment and implement your team training program!

What is your Team’s Culture of Safety Maturity?

For More Information

Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game

We presented, Should Cross Cultural Serious Games Be Included in Your Diversity Program: Best Practices and Lessons Learned at the Online Conference, New Diversity Summit 2020 the week of September 14, 2020.  Check Out this timely event and contact the organizer for access to the presentations!!

You can contact this author as well.