By Innocent Mushamba

If you could build a marketing team with a 0% failure rate, what do you think would be the number one factor that would guarantee your success? Imagine having a team of experts in various areas of marketing, all working towards the common goal of achieving extraordinary results, without the fear of failure. How would you do it?

Let’s take a little pop quiz. Which one would you choose?

1. The most skilled people
2. The most experienced people.
3. The most innovative bunch.
4. The most emotionally intelligent

HR practitioners will look for a mix, which is difficult to obtain. But what if there actually is a way to build a creative dream team?

A few years ago, Google embarked on some research to find out just how feasible that would be.  They called it Project Aristotle. The idea was to see if there was a way to come up with the perfect team. 

The conclusion was that it all had nothing to do with the caliber of people in the team. Abeer Dubey, a manager in Google’s People Analytics division, commented:

“We looked at 180 teams from all over the company. We had lots of data, but there was nothing showing that a mix of specific personality types or skills or backgrounds made any difference. The ‘who’ part of the equation didn’t seem to matter.’’

So, according to Google, the number one factor that determines the success of any given team is psychological safety.

What’s psychological safety anyways?
Psychological safety refers to a team environment where individuals feel accepted, respected, and able to voice their opinions without the fear of reprisal or judgment from their peers. It is about creating a supportive atmosphere where everyone’s input is valued, without the need for constant validation. Psychological safety encourages open communication, collaboration, and the willingness to take risks, ultimately driving creativity and innovation within the team.

What psychological safety is NOT?
Many people have the idea that psychological safety is about being “nice” to employees. Feeling comfortable all the time is not the essence of psychological safety. It involves being able to take risks, make mistakes, and learn from them, even if it feels uncomfortable. The key is to create a safe environment without negative consequences for interpersonal interactions.

When I was in high school I had a cricket coach that was tough as nails. I used to walk the distance from Windsor Park to Ruwa Cricket Club, only to get there and be battered and sore with harsh practice drills from him. He was very strict, and I hated him at first. But with time, as my game improved, I grew to love him. He always pushed the limit, but he always made sure that we were safe from the risk of injury. Psychological safety is much like much coach. It’s about creating a disciplined workforce that still has freedom to be safe.

Google’s Golden Key For Success

There are 5 key ways to foster a safe environment for marketing teams to perform at their peak value:

1. Lead by Example: It starts at the top. Leaders should actively demonstrate a healthy dose of openness, encouraging team members to share their thoughts, concerns, and ideas without fear of judgment. By being open to feedback and admitting when mistakes are made, leaders set the stage for an inclusive and psychologically safe environment.
2. Establish Clear Communication Channels: Encourage frequent and open communication within the team. Regularly scheduled team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and one-on-one discussions create a space where everyone can contribute, share insights, and collaborate effectively.
3. Embrace Diverse Perspectives: Recognize the value of diverse viewpoints and experiences within the team. Encouraging diversity of thought and actively seeking input from all team members enhances creativity, and problem-solving, and helps foster a sense of psychological safety.
4. Foster a Culture of Feedback: Regularly provide constructive feedback to team members and encourage them to do the same. Constructive feedback should be focused, specific, and delivered with empathy while fostering a growth mindset within the team.
5. Encourage Risk-Taking and Learning from Failure: Embrace a mindset that views failure as an opportunity for growth. Encourage team members to take calculated risks, learn from their experiences, and share their learnings with the rest of the team. Creating a culture that embraces failure as a stepping stone to success fosters psychological safety and encourages innovation.

What You Need To Assess Today
Recent research conducted by Edmondson and Henrik Bresman, an organizational behaviour professor at INSEAD, has revealed an interesting finding. In teams that cultivate a high level of psychological safety, the presence of diverse expertise is closely linked to improved performance. This study underscores the significance of psychological safety in unlocking the potential of diverse skill sets within teams, ultimately leading to enhanced outcomes.

They prepared a simple questionnaire you can use as a tool for your marketing team:

1. If you make a mistake on this team, it is not held against you.
2. Members of this team are able to bring up problems and tough issues.
3. People on this team sometimes accept others for being different.
4. It is safe to take a risk on this team.
5. It isn’t difficult to ask other members of this team for help.
6. No one on this team would deliberately act in a way that undermines my efforts.
7. Working with members of this team, my unique skills and talents are valued and utilized.

An anonymous take on this will reveal the areas in your marketing department that need to be improved.

Parting shot
Building the perfect marketing team goes beyond hiring experts or skilled professionals in various areas. While individual competency is essential, psychological safety plays a pivotal role in team success. The only team that wins is the team that can work together. People don’t have to like each other to get work done, all they need is to feel safe. By fostering an environment where team members feel safe and empowered to share their ideas, take risks, and learn from failure, marketers can unlock the full potential of their teams. Make that change for the new year and watch your marketing department drive exceptional results in 2024!