What are effective strategies for building trust and psychological safety during Creative Problem Solving?

2 Generate ideas

The second step in CPS is to generate as many ideas as possible, without judging or filtering them. To create an environment of trust and psychological safety, it is important to follow some ground rules, such as respecting each other's contributions and perspectives, listening actively and attentively, building on each other's ideas and acknowledging their sources, avoiding criticism, blame, or personal attacks, using positive and constructive language, and celebrating diversity and creativity. This will ensure that your team is free to share their thoughts without fear of judgement or criticism.

4 Implement solutions

The final step in CPS is to implement the solutions you selected, and monitor their outcomes and impacts. This requires trust and support between team members to execute the plan, overcome obstacles, and learn from failures. To enhance trust and psychological safety, it's important to communicate clearly and frequently about progress, challenges, and results. Roles and responsibilities should be delegated according to the strengths and interests of team members. Help should be provided and asked for when needed, while efforts and achievements should be recognized and appreciated. Additionally, the process and outcomes should be reviewed and reflected upon to identify areas for improvement. Trust and psychological safety are essential for effective CPS, as they enable collaboration, innovation, and learning. By applying these strategies, a culture of trust and psychological safety can be created in your team to unleash collective potential for solving complex problems.