Team innovation doesn’t depend on physical spaces and whiteboards. It depends on your team’s ability to take risks and comfort with asking for help, sometimes referred to as psychological safety.

To feel psychological safety, team members need to feel seen and appreciated. This is achieved by investing in building bonds across teams and trust within teams, bringing people together with intention.

To make your team more innovative, you can’t rely on water coolers or serendipity. Instead, create opportunities for dedicated cross-functional team building. As distinguished Harvard Law School fellow Heidi Gardner put it, “Innovation is creativity applied.…. You need to build the network well before you need it. The ROI will come down the road.”

Our High Performing Team program is a strengths-based program that helps teams develop psychological safety while building solid relationships amongst team members. The result? Team members are more engaged, happier, and more productive.

We are grateful to have facilitated two workshops with non-profits last week. We conducted a team-building workshop with the volunteers for the BC Chapter of the American Marketing Association. And we directed a Strengths and Strategy Planning Session for the Board of Directors of the Society of Intercultural Education, Training and Research.

Fantastic to see such team support and participation!

Are you part of a board of directors or non-profit organization? Contact us to talk about bringing a workshop to your team to build psychological safety!

Warm regards.

by Brian Elliott, Future Forum