In S 4 E 5 I am honoured to speak with Professor Amy Edmondson. Professor Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School. She is a world-renowned thought ( and action) leader in organisational learning, leadership and team work. She is however perhaps most known and regarded for her work in the area of psychological safety and team performance. In 2019 she published her book The Fearless Organization which I throughly recommend to my colleagues in healthcare.
In this conversation, which I am conscious only skims the surface of her incredible richness and depth of expertise and perspective, we discuss the origins of her research in healthcare teams and evolution over time.
Although spanning a broad range of professions and industries globally, Professor Edmondson offers a healthcare lens and perspective on her work. I am particularly keen to explore uncertainty and complexity in healthcare and the transient and "flash" nature of some of our teams coming together, sometimes to care for the sickest patients.
My key takeaways from our conversation include:
1. Local leadership really matters
2. When it comes to building psychological safety, be explicit.
3. Clinician wellbeing, like psychological safety, are the means to the goal, with is high quality, safe patient care.
Thank you Professor Edmondson for generously sharing your time, expertise and a wide range of practical resources ( see below). Your genuine curiosity to drive us forward has local and global impact.
"Success in an uncertain world depends on high-quality bets. High quality bets depend on high-quality conversations. These don't happen by accident. "
Amy Edmondson
Links/References/Resources:
Professor Amy Edmondson
https://amycedmondson.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amedmondson/
The Fearless Organisation
Edmondson, Amy C. The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2018.
Recent HBR articles discussed:
https://hbr.org/2023/01/rethink-your-employee-value-proposition https://hbr.org/2023/04/make-it-safe-for-employees-to-speak-up-especially-in-risky-times
Related podcasts:
Studying team culture and cultivating psychological safety in medicine with Dr Eve Purdy
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-mind-full-medic-podcast/id1513559414?i=1000541673839
The impact of behaviour on individual and team performance and why civility can save lives in healthcare with Dr Chris Turner
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podca
The Mind Full Medic Podcast is proudly sponsored by the MBA NSW-ACT Find out more about their service or donate today at www.mbansw.org.au
Disclaimer: The content in this podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care professional. Moreover views expressed here are our own and do not necessarily reflect those of our employers or other official organisations.