It’s heartening and timely to see that leaders of organisations are increasingly recognising the importance of creating more positive and supportive workplace cultures.
Two such initiatives that have gained significant attention in recent years are diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and psychological safety.
So what do these initiatives have in common, and how can viewing them through the lens of culture change be useful?
Diversity, equity and inclusion values differences
First, let’s look at DEI initiatives and what they’re designed to do.
The overriding aim of DEIs is to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within an organisation.
They aspire to create a workplace culture that values and respects the differences among employees, including differences in race, gender, age, religion, and sexual orientation.
Psychological safety equals support and trust
Psychological safety, on the other hand, occurs when employees feel safe and supported to express their thoughts, ideas, and concerns without fear of negative consequences. It’s strongly linked to organisational trust,
When employees feel psychologically safe, they’re more likely to take risks, share ideas, and collaborate with their colleagues. This can lead to increased innovation and productivity.
In Australia, psychological safety is no longer a ‘nice to have’. To comply with recent laws and codes of practice, organisations must have systemic processes in place that address the psychosocial hazards that can harm workers’ mental health and wellbeing.
Psychosocial hazards include:
- Excessive work demands
- Role overload
- Lack of support
- Poor workplace relationships
- Lack of organisational justice,
- Bullying, harassment, and violence
Commonalities of DEI and psychological safety
Whilst DEI and psychological safety have differences, both aim to create more inclusive and supportive workplace cultures. And the connections aren’t trivial.
Tim Clark, for example, outlined ‘Four Stages of Psychological Safety’. They start with inclusion safety, where all members must be included and welcomed without discrimination regarding gender, age, social background, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, or anything else (see The 4 Stages Book).
Both psychological safety and DEI require a fundamental shift in the way that employees relate to one another.
They both demand openness, transparency, respect for diverse perspectives and an environment where employees can express their thoughts and ideas without fear of negative consequences.
Making the change goes beyond the tangible
So how can we make the change in our organisations?
Yes, there needs to be policy, processes, systems, education programs and metrics to promote psychologically safe, diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces. On their own though, they are unlikely to change much.
Making the change requires a fundamental shift in the quality of working relationships and the quality of the conversations.
That is to say, the rubber doesn’t hit the road until the quality of relationships and conversations change.
Change through a culture change lens
Organisations will no doubt vary in how they come to realise the need to promote psychologically safe, diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces.
Some through the need to comply or through values and higher-order aspirations; others through the benefits that psych safety and DEI can provide through improved teamwork, innovation, and retention, to name a few.
However, the one thing all these organisations share is that to be successful, they must embrace a deeper change in how they operate.
This includes change in the principles and values that shape organisational behaviour and change in how the organisation relates to its members and how members relate to one another.
We’re talking about a shift in organisational culture.
Approaching this type of change through the lens of culture change is the key.
It’s in connections and conversations
Your culture isn’t something that can be designed and changed like your office layout or IT system.
It’s continuously unfolding and evolving and emerges from the thousands of daily interactions between your people and their environment, your practices and systems, and the stories people share.
This means that openness, respect for diverse perspectives and an environment where employees feel they can express their thoughts and ideas without fear of negative consequences emerge from the interactions between the parts (or elements) of the system.
That’s right; it’s in the connections. And how do we connect? Through conversation!
Every organisation is unique, and there’s no silver bullet to change culture. Leaders cannot delegate or outsource their accountability to shape their culture. They can, however, be supported, developed, and coached along the way.
Organisations have been deliberately working to shift towards more constructive cultures for over 40 years. This means that there’s a considerable knowledge and evidence base that underpins the practice of culture change.
DEI and psych safety require a fundamental shift
DEI and psychological safety not only have a lot in common, but they are also best considered as culture change initiatives.
They require a fundamental shift in the way that organisations operate and in the quality of relationships. There are tangible and less tangible aspects to the journey, and they all need to connect and make sense as everyone learns the new ways of working together.