I'm happy to share some exciting news related to Lean and Psychological Safety. For a long time, there have been very few books directly connecting the term “Psychological Safety” with Lean thinking and the Toyota Production System (TPS). Until recently, my book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, and Toyota Culture (by Liker and Hoseus) were among the only ones to explicitly make this connection.
Hear podcasts where I interview Jeff Liker and Mike Hoseus on the connections:
But now, there's another book that joins this important conversation.
The new book, Daily Management to Execute Strategy, is authored by José Roberto Ferro and Robson Gouveia, and its English translation is being published by Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI). What excites me most about this book is how it highlights psychological safety as a core part of Lean leadership–something that is vital for developing a true culture of continuous improvement and learning.
Psychological Safety is crucial because it means there's an environment where people generally feel safe enough to speak up, admit their mistakes, and collaborate openly on problem-solving without fear of punishment. That's the environment we want to build in every Lean transformation. I've emphasized this in my own work–how learning from mistakes, rather than hiding them, is at the heart of Lean's respect-for-people principle.
I recently saw one of the co-authors, José Ferro, at last month's Lean Institute Brazil Healthcare Summit. It was a fantastic event, and we had the chance to discuss these ideas in person. Just yesterday, I interviewed him for an upcoming episode of the Lean Blog Interviews podcast (episode coming soon, so subscribe now!). We discussed the book and the leadership behaviors that foster Psychological Safety and I can't wait to share that conversation with you.
In one excerpt from the book:
“The attitude to tackling problems is just as important as skills with solution methods. An open mind to learning and stimulation by challenging and supportive leadership help to create an environment of psychological safety where employees are not afraid to express their opinions, however different they may be.”
They also touch on what Psychological Safety is NOT:
“This does not mean creating an environment where everything is always fine and where everyone lives harmoniously without conflicts and disagreements. Rather, it means that employees feel safe to speak up, deliver bad news, and express different opinions, without concern for the opinion of others, especially the boss's. Judgments should always be guided by purpose and what matters to customers, not who has a certain opinion.”
As I have written and spoken about, Lean organizations must have a combination of these skills and mindsets:
- Problem-Solving
- Psychological Safety
I've said that all of the problem-solving training in the world might be a waste of money if we're not cultivating an environment of Psychological Safety.
From the book:
The book also touches on the Deming concept of eliminating fear:
Don't instill fear. Create psychological safety to deal with bad news and enable people to speak their minds.
For those of you who are interested, the book is available today, and I highly recommend it. It's a significant contribution to the body of work connecting Lean with Psychological Safety, and I believe it will help leaders at all levels create more innovative, engaged, and resilient organizations.
If we want our Lean journeys to succeed, Psychological Safety can't be an afterthought–it has to be part of the foundation. It's up lo leaders to lead the way.
Stay tuned for the podcast episode with José Ferro, and I hope you check out the book!
Thanks to the Lean Enterprise Institute for providing me with a pre-released copy of the book for review.
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Check out my latest book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation:
Here’s a written interview with the two co-authors via LEI:
Interview with José Roberto Ferro and Robson Gouveia about the book Daily Management to Execute Strategy