Safe space – what does that mean?

Welcome to the first post in our 14-week deep dive into the 4 Questions and 10 Rules of Strategic Doing.* These principles were first outlined in this blog post from October 2023, and now we’re taking time to explore each one more closely, once per week.

* If you’ve read the Strategic Doing: Ten Skills for Agile Leadership book, you know they’re called “skills” there, not rules, because unless you’re doing an actual Strategic Doing workshop, you don’t have to do them all, in a particular order – but the ideas are the same.

We’re starting with Rule (or Skill) #1. “Creating Safe Space for Deep, Focused Conversations”. Let’s dive in.

At the Lab, we talk and teach about “safe space” a lot – what does that mean? It’s a phrase that get used a lot in various ways, and not all of them are helpful for action-oriented collaboration.

Here’s what it’s not:

• a physical place (although the physical place can enhance or detract from a space being safe).
• a concept that is all about demographic diversity (ethnicity, gender, age, etc.).
• a space where people can say whatever they want and never be challenged.

If it’s not those things (don’t believe the search engine results that suggest it is), what is it? It’s a space that is conducive to deep, focused conversation in which everyone takes a part (ideally, people participate equally – what we call “equity of voice”). It’s a phrase we at the Lab use that succinctly combines a few ideas:

Psychological Safety – the safe part

Psychological safety, which is at the core of a safe space, is a sense that it is ok to take interpersonal risks. A few “key indicators”: People don’t feel they will be judged for sharing their opinions, and they can admit mistakes. Importantly, it’s a group sense – if one person isn’t feeling it, you don’t really have psychological safety.

Diversity can play a role in whether a group is psychologically safe – it’s common for a person who differs in some way from the rest of the group to not feel psychologically safe even when everyone else does – and especially common if that difference is a visible one (usually, but not always, a demographic difference). They may hold back from sharing their opinions, or choose their words very carefully. It’s also true that cultural differences can shape the way people have discussions. Here’s one example: in some cultures, it is normal for people to discuss feelings, including differences of opinion. If in your culture that is not ok, a group where that happens that can feel intimidating – even rude. You may feel less safe than you did before – when for most of the group, the open conversation might be a sign of good psychological safety. On the other hand, if you are comfortable discussing feeling and opinions, and that isn’t happening in the group for cultural reasons, you’ll feel like the group is “wasting time”! There’s no right or wrong – it’s a question of mindfully structuring the discussion for that particular group.

Action step: especially if your team intentionally brings people together across cultures, talk about it – carefully. Just acknowledge potential differences before the conversation, and then check in with each other afterward. One question might be, “Is there anything we could have done as a group to make sure that everyone felt comfortable contributing?”. It may take several meetings before people open up about these differences; keep at it. If you’re leading the conversation, be especially careful that you don’t model a way of participating that doesn’t feel safe to everyone. The Lab can partner with you: we’re certified to assess and work with teams on psychological safety.

Learn more: this TEDx talk by Amy Edmondson, who pioneered the idea of psychological safety.

Meeting logistics – the space part

The other part of safe space is the actual space where you’ll have the conversation. We often just choose a place for a meeting because it’s convenient – but especially when you’re trying to foster action-oriented collaboration, think a bit harder. Maybe it makes sense to have it someplace “neutral,” or to make sure it’s easy to get to on public transportation. Make sure parking isn’t an issue, and that the location isn’t perceived as dangerous by anyone you’ve invited.

Inside the actual room, there are other considerations. Invite people to tell you ahead of time if they have any accessibility needs: no steps to go negotiate, or high-contrast visual materials, or being located at the front of a room to hear a speaker. And of course, think about where people will be seated:

If there are multiple tables, space them as far apart as possible so it’s easier for people to hear one another. Don’t put more than 8 people at a table.

What about virtual meetings? Hybrid? Virtual meetings can work, but still need thought. And, while we’re open to having our minds changed, we’ve never led (or been part of) a hybrid meeting that we thought was effective in ensuring “equity of voice.” The participants online rarely get to speak up.

Action step: take an inventory of the places you usually have meetings. Do you think they’re conducive to good conversation? Even better, ask someone outside your organization for their opinion – familiarity can make us miss what’s obvious to others.

Learn more: our September 18 “Third Thursday” webinar will cover why equity of voice is important – and plenty else besides.

And of course, you can learn more about all 10 rules/skills in an upcoming Strategic Doing training (whether virtual or in person). Have a group that needs to be trained? We’ll come to you!