“I don’t understand these results because I tell all my employees that they can come talk to me about anything at any time.” An organizational leader recently shared this sentiment when looking at low results in Healthy Communication on their Employee Engagement Survey.
What’s the disconnect?
There could be many reasons why people don’t come to this leader’s office and voice their concerns. One reason could be that employees may have observed negative repercussions when people tried to share insights with this leader in the past. Creating a workplace environment where employees at all levels feel free to share opinions and ideas openly takes an intentional commitment to psychological safety. Amy Edmondson of Harvard Business School has done extensive research on the benefits of psychological safety in the workplace:
Psychological safety is broadly defined as a climate in which people are comfortable expressing and being themselves. They feel comfortable sharing concerns and mistakes without fear of embarrassment or retribution. They are confident that they can speak up and won’t be humiliated, ignored, or blamed. They know they can ask questions when they are unsure about something. Psychological safety is a crucial source of value creation in organizations operating in a complex, changing environment. Amy Edmondson, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth (2018).
Her observations about the importance of psychological safety dovetail with Best Christian Workplaces’ research on the components of a flourishing workplace. Healthy Communication is one of the eight FLOURISH Factors based on more than 20 years of research into employee engagement and workplace health.
When leaders involve employees, seek and act on their suggestions, and explain reasons behind decisions, employee engagement increases, and the workplace culture gets strengthened. Healthy Communication affects everything!
There are two areas to focus on to develop a culture of Healthy Communication that encourages psychological safety: the internal work of being a leader who values input, and the practical work of creating processes that make room for input.
A leader who embraces input from people at all levels of their organization is humble enough to realize that they may have blind spots and that other people have valuable insights and understanding. Seeking two-way communication is not just a box to check off, but an intentional appreciation for diverse viewpoints and ideas.
Expectations around decision-making and input are shaped by a variety of factors, including generation, culture, and personality. Insightful leaders take time to understand these differences and intentionally create environments where all voices are welcomed, especially those who may be less inclined to speak up.
A leader who creates a safe space for open communication is aware of the impact of power dynamics. They understand that employees might naturally defer to the leader because of their position of authority. The way a leader responds to input and ideas they might disagree with will signal to people whether it is safe to share or not. One of the most impactful things a leader can do is grow in self-awareness, recognizing how their reactions to feedback influence others. When leaders understand the effect their responses have, especially to ideas they may initially resist, it can transform the level of trust and openness in the workplace.
The great thing about self-awareness is that leaders can grow and develop this skill! An important part of growing in self-awareness is getting feedback from others. Leadership 360s are one of the most powerful ways to gather tangible and anonymous feedback that highlights strengths and growth opportunities.
After an initial assessment, many leaders see continuous growth through Stakeholder Centered Coaching, which provides them with consistent and actionable feedback. This coaching model is based on creating an environment where people are invited to regularly provide feedback and input to a leader. In addition, coaching offers a leader a safe place to process feedback and strategize growth opportunities with a trained professional.
While internal growth lays the foundation, it must be paired with intentional practices. Once leaders are committed to valuing input, the next step is to build clear processes that invite, gather, and act on that input in consistent and visible ways.
Seeking and acting on suggestions and involving people in decisions that affect them takes time and intentionality. Leaders and middle managers need to build time into processes to incorporate input and adjust plans based on new information that is shared during a feedback process. For example, when a timeline for a new project includes space for employees to ask questions, share insights, and reflect on potential unintended consequences, it not only strengthens the plan, it also builds ownership and trust. Creating time for collaborative problem-solving and thoughtful adjustments leads to smoother implementation and stronger outcomes.
Once again, the way leaders respond to this input is critical. Employees who take the risk to openly share input and ideas, particularly when an organization is in a change cycle, want to know that their input is valued and will be factored into organizational changes. Employees who are invited to share ideas but see that their feedback never makes a difference in final decisions may disengage and be unwilling to offer input in the future. While every idea may not become part of implementation, a healthy organization includes dialogue and explanation of how ideas are vetted. Healthy communication processes include not only the “what” but also the “why” behind it and “how” the decision was made.
Best Christian Workplaces’ Employee Engagement Survey provides a way to assess the health of communication processes, by including questions on seeking and acting on suggestions of employees, along with opportunities to voice opinions openly, and encouragement to experiment and be innovative.
Another important aspect of psychological safety is whether or not an organization has an effective process to respond to unethical behavior, including harassment. All employees need to be informed about appropriate reporting channels and privacy protections, even before they need to access such systems.
Intentional investment in an annual assessment of workplace health through an Employee Engagement Survey provides leaders with actionable data to become aware of strengths and weaknesses. A flourishing culture is the result of an ongoing commitment to growth and improvement in Healthy Communication and all the other FLOURISH Factors.
The positive aspect of Christian community in a workplace is a grace-based atmosphere that values each person created in the image of God and the redemptive work of God in our lives. Scriptural guidelines on communication apply to everyone in an organization. James 1:19 is a great foundation for healthy interaction: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” A regular and healthy practice for a Christian leader is to seek input and insight from the Lord.
However, in communicating vision, spiritual leaders have the ability to either invite participation or unintentionally shut down input. Consider how different approaches will impact the freedom of your employees to ask practical questions and raise legitimate concerns:
The first posture can be inviting, as employees can also join in prayer for future direction. The second posture could imply that anyone who raises concerns or pushes back with the direction isn’t just disagreeing with a leader, but with God. Wise and humble leaders know that inviting others into the discernment process not only leads to better decisions but also fosters shared ownership and deeper unity in pursuing the mission together. Proverbs 15:22 reminds us, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed."
Creating a safe workplace environment with robust and healthy communication is time-consuming. But the investment in listening, interacting, discussing, and moving to a collaborative future is worth the effort.
Change and adaptation will always be part of any workplace, and leaders who are humbly committed to listening and learning will guide their teams forward in a positive direction. It’s a messy, imperfect process, but in a grace-based environment, leaders and employees can keep showing up and doing the work necessary to thrive.
Reflect on these questions as you consider your own role in creating an environment with open communication:
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