To effectively prepare for and manage crises, creating a psychologically safe environment is essential. This involves fostering an open and trusting culture, where employees at all levels of the organization can share their skills, knowledge, and concerns without fear of rejection or punishment.

Psychological safety is the key to achieving mindful organization and cultivating a safety culture within the organization. Such a culture encourages the formation of shared situational awareness, which is essential for managing emergencies. Furthermore, psychological safety encourages employees to challenge established procedures and offer alternative solutions based on their experience and knowledge.

Deepwater horizon oil spill was the largest marine oil spill in history caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in April 2020.  This catastrophic oil spill serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of not creating a psychologically safe environment. Had the employees been given the opportunity to speak up and challenge the decisions made, the tragedy may have been avoided. Thus, it is crucial to ensure that organizations equip their employees with the tools and skills needed to safely raise and discuss critical issues, and ultimately avoid catastrophic outcomes.  The following clip illustrates the catastrophic events that can unfold with a contributing factor being employees not encouraged to speak up and bias of meeting project timelines.

References

Sætren, G. B., Stenhammer, H. C., Doornich, J. B., Sørnes, J. O., & Saghafian, M. (2022). Psychological Safety in Crisis Preparedness and Management Training Context.Edmondson, A. C., & Mortensen, M. (2021). What psychological safety looks like in a hybrid workplace. Harvard Business Review, 3, 109.