Camden Imagines Participant Blogs
With that space to think comes an improved capacity to include more perspectives in my work
Why psychological safety matters more than you think it did — by Phil Barrett
This blog is part of a series of blogs written by the participants of the Camden Imagines programme. This eight week training introduced council officers and public servants to the skills of collective imagination and horizontal leadership to empower them to become agents of change in the borough.
Phil is an Early Help Coordinator within the children’s services, working with families for short periods to match their needs to a range of internal and borough-wide services, supporting them to achieve their goals as well as advocating on their behalf.
“How do we create an environment in which employees feel truly comfortable to show ‘weakness’, let others in, and collaborate more effectively?”
If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be today? Which animal best sums up your mood and how you’re feeling?
If you were to face a ‘check-in’ question like this at the start of a meeting, maybe you would immediately roll your eyes at such a silly question, forgetting that your camera is on. If this would be you, you need to keep reading.
Until recently — albeit on a ‘good’ day — I might have described myself as a racehorse: well trained, well supported and well managed to perform a specific role. This all sounds very impressive, like I know exactly what I’m doing and how to do it; my eyes firmly set on the prize. Everyone wants to back a winner, right? So why would I want to reveal to my colleagues that I was struggling or in need of their support? I am of course playing devil’s advocate. We all work in teams and know full well that we can and should turn to our colleagues for assistance and advice whenever we need it, but how do we create an environment in which employees feel truly comfortable to show ‘weakness’, let others in, and collaborate more effectively? How do we foster Psychological Safety?
From September to December 2022, myself and 31 of my Camden colleagues took part in a seismic, mind-expanding training course called Camden Imagines and it’s certainly not hyperbolic to say that it is the most inspirational training or educational experience I’ve taken part in. The course touched on so many thought-provoking ideas and concepts, but perhaps none more important than this concept of psychological safety, the feeling of being ‘truly comfortable’ at work. In this blog post I will explain this concept, why it matters to you more than you think, and how the Camden Imagines course has helped me, a blinkered racehorse, to vault the stables, metamorphose, and take wing into a new way of working — and perhaps, even thinking.
Pull quote: “The Camden Imagines course taught us that imagination is a precious resource found within us all.”
Check-in exercises such as “what animal are you?” or “what weather are you?” were a recurring theme in the Camden Imagines course. This eight-week course, which was delivered by an innovative organisation called Moral Imaginations, consisted of two sessions per week (one main session and a shorter reflection session), as well as weekly homework tasks. Sessions included core learning (introductions to key concepts), experimental exercises (such as ‘conversing’ with Camden residents from the distant future), and imaginative break-out groups in which we brainstormed new and boundless visions for the future of both Camden Council and the borough as a whole.
However, the subtle, but nevertheless beating heart of the course wasn’t the exercises, the guest speakers, or the pre-planned content, but the opportunities to talk and discuss freely; I called it ‘planned unplanned time’. In these free-flowing spaces, which began with a series of check-in questions, we considered the content of the course and, really, whatever ‘came up’. I must admit, I was rather surprised when these conversations were allowed to run for up to 45 minutes, week after week, but I soon realised that this was no accident.
Pull quote: “From a fun and imaginative team-building exercise flows an ethos in which employees begin to understand and actively support one another”
Psychological safety (PS) in the workplace has been defined by Dr Amy Edmondson at Harvard University as, “[t]he belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes, and that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking”. Teams that possess PS feel horizontal, welcoming and dynamic. The opinions of all members, at whatever level, are heard, valued, and encouraged. Their managers (or senior members) not only answer all and any queries, but also actively invite questions and ideas; there’s a real difference between “my door’s always open…”, and “ow can I help you today?”. Teams that feel like this are spaces in which members can flourish and, importantly, be creative and imaginative. The Camden Imagines course taught us that imagination is a precious resource found within us all, one capable of bringing about fundamental changes and improvements to our work, our lives, and our world. The ‘planned unplanned time’ that permeated the course became a breeding ground for ideas, visions, debates and some very personal and candid reflections and revelations. From this fertile soil blossomed unbridled imagination and, as a result, the feeling of psychological safety. So, how can you sow the seeds of ingenuity and improved wellbeing in your teams?
We’re back to our favourite question, “what animal are you today?”. The magic of a check-in exercise like this lies far beyond getting everyone talking and lightening the mood, but in forging a sense of belonging, acceptance, and safety within the group. For instance, when someone responds describing themselves as a ‘sloth’, the whole team is alerted to the fact that they may be feeling a little subpar and perhaps, feeling low. This immediately breeds compassion and empathy within the rest of the team and may lead to a one-to-one conversation in which the reasons behind those feelings are explored, leading to appropriate support being offered. It’s really as simple as that. From a fun and imaginative team-building exercise flows an ethos in which employees begin to understand and actively support one another, with all the exponential benefits to both their personal wellbeing and their work itself. A check-in question at your weekly meeting might add 10 minutes, but it may also change the way you work as a team as you exercise and grow your imagination muscles! On that note, I want to take you back to the stables, to give you a taste of the thinking I’ve gleaned from Camden Imagines.
If I were to ask myself the “what animal?” question again, we all know I’d be lying if I repeated my stock, equine response. The irony of the racehorse is that as much as it is driven and trained to achieve a singular goal, it is blinkered and blind to its faults. Whether in the lead or in the pack, the racehorse can’t observe and learn from the others around him, or even from the ponies in the field beyond the fence, free from this one-track mind. In short, it lacks imagination. Similarly, someone working in this way has little chance of identifying and embracing a new way of operating. No, to find me, you’d have to look well beyond the stables, past the jockeys and trainers, bookies and punters, out above the racecourse itself. There you’ll find a wily, imaginative, free-roaming creature, surveying the whole spectacle from on high: the humble crow. According to National Geographic, crows are one of the most intelligent and creative creatures alive, capable not only of devising bespoke tools to extract hidden prey, but also of improving their designs and possibly even sharing their knowledge with other crows. Having completed the Camden Imagines course, I often feel like a crow: able to hover above, below and all around my work; able to think more imaginatively about challenges and find creative solutions; and more able to find some much-needed mental space, whether that’s for my work or my personal life. With that space to think comes an improved capacity to include more perspectives in my work and consider the long-term ramifications of my actions. Finally, and most importantly, just like the crows working together to achieve a shared goal, I am working more collaboratively with my colleagues and turning to them more often with questions, queries and ideas, as well as asking for support.
Pull quote: “Psychological safety recognises that with the space and the safety to think and imagine, we work better and feel better at work.”
This is psychological safety in action, a self-propelling system driving personal and organisational development, driven by creativity and imagination. This example illustrates that psychological safety and imagination are inextricably linked. The ability to remove the blinkers, self-reflect, and turn to others is a skill and one which you can practise. A regular use of check-in questions and imaginative team-building exercises can build and then maintain the pathways to support that may appear slightly overgrown to some.
Psychological safety recognises that with the space and the safety to think and imagine, we work better and feel better at work. As a result, it may also become the hidden catalyst behind the improvements, changes and future visions for our local services; and in turn, for the lives of our residents. Even just an awareness of psychological safety will make Camden Council, and indeed any workplace, more productive, creative and happier; all it takes is a ‘silly’ little question in your next meeting.
This blog is part of a series written by Camden’s Imagination Activists as part of their Imagination Activism programme called “Camden Imagines”. To read the other blogposts in the series, please visit this link.
