Leading Libraries Series: Leading for Dialogue

Holding a space for dialogue

 

The concept of a "safe" space for dialogue

This module will introduce you to the idea of 'safe spaces for dialogue' and help you consider how you can contribute to creating those spaces. Watch this 32 minute video.

 

 

Considering 'psychological safety'

Before we think about how we might 'hold a space for others', it's worth taking some time to consider what a psychologically safe dialogue means to us. We all have different definitions or interpretations of what a safe dialogue feels like and what needs to be in place - there is no right or wrong answer, it's unique to each of us. Consider what's important for you.

It's helpful to compare different types of conversation so we can notice what our preferred conditions are.

Think of an environment at work where you have felt safe:

• to share your opinion with others
• to speak up or maybe disagree
• to challenge somebody with a difficult question
• to share your personal feelings.

What was it that made that possible?

 

Then think of an environment you've been in when the opposite was true. When it didn't feel safe to speak up, to challenge to disagree, to share something of yourself either an opinion or a feeling.

What was missing in that environment for you?

 

When we spend some time reflecting on these issues, we start to recognise that we also need to understand how other people see 'psychological safety', what it means for them and how we might help to create that sense in all our conversations.

 

Psychological safety defined

Amy Edmondson, Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard University, one of the key thinkers and writers on this subject, defines psychological safety at work as:

a shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking'.

In her research, Edmondson looked at a range of team activities (not just conversations) and characterised safe work environments as ones where we feel able to do all the following things without risk of negative judgements or losing our reputation. In these environments, we feel we can:

• Ask difficult questions
• Give constructive feedback
• Point out failures and mistakes (including our own!).

Edmondson recommends that leaders who wish to build psychological safety in their teams should:

• frame the work as learning
• acknowledge their own fallibility
• model curiosity.

 

If you are interested in this important subject, you can read more about it in this short blog by Amy Edmondson, Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard University, one of the key thinkers and writers on this subject. Or you can watch her 2014 Ted Talk.

As you read or listen, reflect on how these different ideas play out in your own work or organisation. What might you do as a leader to bring these themes more into the foreground, with the aim of leading for dialogue in your setting?

 

Understanding frame and boundaries

When we want to create a 'safe space' for dialogue, we need to explicitly consider the things that help us all build an environment that has the capacity to hold our thoughts, feelings, behaviours – the comfortable ones and the uncomfortable ones.

We need to ask ourselves and our colleagues "Is this a good enough space to live and work? Is it contained enough? It may feel at our edge, it may feel risky. But is it good enough or safe enough, safe enough for us to be able to take risks with one another? How do we feel held in this environment?"

Creating a 'containing space' where comfortable and uncomfortable thoughts and feelings are permissible is supported by how we set the 'frame' for the conversation and how we manage the 'boundaries' of our work. Boundaries mean different things to different people but they generally include making agreements about the practical, interpersonal and social principles we want to hold to as we talk together.

 

 

Demonstrating helpful qualities in the dialogue

In our work with leaders and facilitators, we have found that four key conversational qualities most support the development of deeper dialogue. These qualities and the associated practical behaviours are illustrated in the diagram below.

 

Two of these qualities (being Direct and being Vulnerable) help us to show up more openly as people in our dialogues – allowing us to share more of ourselves than just our role or our professional opinions.

The other two qualities (being Curious and being Appreciative) really help others show up – to be themselves and to feel safe to contribute as fully as possible in the conversation.

There is more in a later segment about each of these qualities and the behaviours that help us demonstrate or role model them.

 

Continue to: Frames and boundaries