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Play 7: Create a Safe Environment (Staff)
Be a safe person. Become a safe person by being open, trustworthy, accountable, and supportive to others. Show others how to be this way by being the first to share your ideas with others. People will only feel comfortable talking openly and giving honest feedback when they know it is safe to do so. People need a safe place where they feel accepted, respected, and psychologically secure before they can open up.
Advocate for a safe environment. Talk with colleagues and leaders about the importance of reframing reactions to inevitable mistakes. Demonstrate what happens when mistakes lead to harsh judgment (e.g., shame, retraction, fear) vs. when they are discussed openly for others to learn from them (e.g., encouraged to share opinions and ideas; emboldened to ask for help, clarification, feedback, or even more information). Show them how they can help by ensuring that mistakes will not permanently mark records, nor will they be used to penalize performance reports. Show them research that indicates people who feel safe in this manner tend to be more innovative and motivated to improve their organization, and they learn from their mistakes.
Encourage Leaders to Set Up a Formal Process for Suggestions
Innovative staff know that a good way to impact or affect change is to voice their opinions and be heard by leaders. They can
- Advocate for voices to be heard. Show leaders how listening to staff members and understanding their motivations can benefit them (e.g., new ideas that come from their department can make them look better). Encourage leaders to get to know others by setting up a formal process to get suggestions, ideas, best practices, lessons learned, etc. from employees. Demonstrate to them how a feedback process can be a first step in shortening the line of communication between leaders and staff. Make sure that leaders understand the pitfalls of collecting information and not responding to it. Help them set up an accountability and action process. Ensure feedback is sent to and discussed with the most appropriate personnel to take next steps, otherwise it can demoralize staff. Most importantly, clearly state the repercussions for taking credit for ideas collected in the feedback process.
- Suggest ideas for feedback. Suggest simple changes, like adding time to weekly staff meetings to discuss ideas. Consider regular brainstorming or planning sessions to discuss feedback. Automated continuous improvement programs that allow airports to request and track feedback are another opportunity to capture input from employees, and such systems can be beneficial in reaching employees who might want to remain anonymous. A combination of these feedback mechanisms can be used to make sure that airport leaders keep a pulse on emerging ideas from staff. More information on the feedback process can be found in Seeking Feedback in Chapter 6.
Learn Ways to Challenge the Status Quo in a Respectful Manner
Innovative staff
- Agree to disagree. Challenge ideas of other peers or leaders in a healthy and respectful manner to avoid making issues personal. Start by focusing on areas where there is common ground, and then push back constructively without putting down others' ideas and beliefs. Innovative staff use ”I” statements to communicate what they feel and think, and to discuss what they want or need.
- Keep calm and listen well. Avoid sarcasm, anger, or frustration in your tone of voice. Think positive thoughts about others while talking to them, and assume they all have the best intentions. Be a good listener, and provide time for others to give their point of view. Remain curious about the other person's point of view.
- Act like a reporter. Ask questions to draw out more information. Do not be afraid to directly state when something is not fully understood in order to obtain more information without being confrontational. Additional information can often provide more context for further discussions and provide more opportunities for innovative staff to express their ideas more fully.
