The Power of Collaboration

Webinar Takeaways

The foundation of collaboration is psychological safety, which leads to innovation, better decision making, foster continuous learning.

Team psychological safety is a shared belief that it’s ok to…:

• take risks and admit mistakes.
• express ideas and concerns.
• share unfinished thoughts.
• speak up with questions.
• disagree and challenge.
  
  

…all without fear of any type of negative consequences. 

Why is psychological safety important? 

• Psychological safety can lead to feeling more engaged and motivated: your input matters and you feel comfortable speaking your mind without concern for any type of retribution.
• It can lead to better decision-making: you feel more comfortable voicing opinions and concerns, which often leads to a more diverse range of perspectives being considered.
• It can foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement: you feel more comfortable sharing mistakes and learning from them by openly mining wise lessons from them. 

Negative consequences of low psychological safety:

• Poor communication
• Lower job satisfaction
• Stagnation in innovation
• Decreased collaboration
• Fear of making mistakes
• Elevated stress and anxiety
• Conflict avoidance or escalation
• Lower engagement, productivity, retention

Behaviors that support psychological safety:

• Give “yes, and” responses instead of “yeah, but” responses.
• Replace judgment, criticism, or blame with curiosity: “help me understand…”
• Demonstrate confident vulnerability: activate your humility and learning mindset.
• Approach differences and tension as a collaborator who saves face, not an adversary.
• Ask for feedback on your own delivery: how could I have presented this more effectively?
• Remind yourself of universal needs that bind us: respect, acknowledgement etc.  

Unique challenges for hybrid and remote teams:

The absence of physical proximity can create barriers to connection, communication, and collaboration.

• Misunderstandings are more common in the absence of nonverbal cues.
• Remote settings eliminate organic, informal conversations that often build rapport and trust.
• Working remotely can be isolating if you thrive on social interactions; engagement, morale, and team cohesion suffer.
• Vocal people may dominate while others struggle to participate; loss of diverse perspectives, disengagement, exclusion.
• Multiple time zones can hinder finding mutually convenient meeting times, coordinating real-time collaboration.
• Feelings of exclusion, lower productivity, delays in decision-making.
  • Lack of shared identity
  • Technology fatigue & frustration
  • Limited visibility at work
  • Cultural & personality differences 

For more in-depth insights, watch the webinar anytime for free!