PSYKOLOGISK TRYGGHET “Kalla något som är dåligt för dåligt” - En kvalitativ studie av HR-verksammas syn på vilka faktorer som påverkar psykologisk trygghet

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the perception of which factors affect psychological safety among eight HR professionals in different organizations, and how their learning behaviors are connected to psychological safety. Five of the respondents held a managerial position. We performed this through qualitative research with semi structured interviews to be able to do findings and thematizing these. To be able to achieve the purpose two study questions were formed: (1) Which factors do the respondents perceive affect the psychological safety positively and negatively? (2) What does the respondents’ progress in everyday work look like in relation to psychological safety? Even when disclosing an error or asking for help would be of great benefit to the organization, people are reluctant to do so when facing potential career and interpersonal threats in forms of embarrassment or loss of face. These ways of acting inhibit the learning in the organization and result in loss of innovativity and creativity. Although some people see these potential threats as low and that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking, this is called psychological safety. To be able to act as yourself and be comfortable raising concerns at work is something taken for granted in many organizations. Psychological safety is a relevant subject to study and continuously work within organizations to be able to stay competitive. The result of this study shows that leadership is of great importance for psychological safety. Throughout the results the respondents came back to the importance of the leader's behavior from both managerial and non-managerial respondents. The respondents who held a managerial position emphasized the importance of their own transparency regarding their own mistakes and shortcomings. Another factor that the result showed had a great impact on psychological 3 safety was the importance of interpersonal relationships. The respondents brought up that getting to know who they worked with was of utmost importance, they did not have the urge to know everything about their lives but knowing how the person next to you thinks and reasons was brought up as an important factor. This is also something that previous research shows has a positive effect on psychological safety and by extension on learning. The learning behaviors that took place among the respondents were similar. All of them stated that they are developing in interaction with others, although the forums differed. Some of them developed through informal forums in the corridors or by the coffee machine while some of them had more formal meetings and seminars which were devoted to a predetermined subject. Lastly, our conclusion is that all the respondents were active in an environment embossed by high levels of psychological safety.