The Fearless Organization - Book Review

Author: Amy C. Edmondson

Category: Leadership

Audience: Leadership, Investors, Team Managers

Overview: A comprehensive guide to understanding, supporting, and building psychological safety within organizations.

“The impact of psychological safety extends far beyond the soft stuff: it substantially contributes to team effectiveness, learning, employee retention, and—most critically—better decisions and better performance.” - McKinsey report

I ran across this statement and in all honesty, I had only a very basic understanding of the term, ‘psychological safety’. I wanted to learn more of what it encompassed, who it impacted, and how it affected the organization as a whole - so I went looking and found this book by Amy Edmondson.

A large part of why I liked this book had to do as much with how she approached the topic and as well as the wealth of information within the pages.

The book is broken into 3 parts:

• The Power of Psychological Safety

• Psychological Safety at Work and

• Creating a Fearless Organization.

Part I: The Power of Psychological Safety

Chapters 1 and 2 serve as the "Underpinnings," clearly outlining what psychological safety is - and what it is not. Edmondson identifies the factors that support or hinder it and introduces measurement methods.

She goes on to describe work environments that support it and the benefits organizations experience by providing this understanding and support.

Part II: Psychological Safety at Work

Chapters 3 through 6 dive into real-world dynamics. The chapter’s heading tells you all you need to know - Avoidable Failure, Dangerous Silence, The Fearless Workplace, Safe and Sound. 

Edmondson describes what these 4 areas look like

• What these workplace environments look like

• How employees feel within them

• The risks organizations face when psychological safety is absent

• Actionable steps leaders can take to correct course.

Part III: Creating a Fearless Organization

Chapters 7 and 8 focus on the "how-to" playbook. Edmondson explains how to:

Set the stage

Invite participation

Respond productively.

As with many books from Harvard Business School, the reading can get somewhat bogged down with a lot of narrative…a lot.

But this author also offers recaps, outlines and tools – I especially liked the ‘Leader’s Tool Kit’ and the ‘Leadership Self-Assessment’ materials. 

Final Takeaway

The topic or mention of psychological safety within organizations was in almost every post I’ve read this year. It speaks directly to an individual’s well-being, the company’s cultural strength and health, and ultimately, acknowledgement and actions leaders have taken to ensure it’s provided within their organization.

This read helped me understand psychology safety better, and the toolkits/ assessments were a valuable part of the book.

If you're serious about strengthening your organization's culture or simply understanding why psychological safety matters, this book is a must-read.

Cynthia Kyriazis is the Chief Experience Officer at The Culture Think Tank. Her experience includes executive coaching, consulting, and training. Book a 15-minute chat to discuss your people, performance, or profit challenges.