Ohio State University, Columbus

virtual teams can create psychological safety if their members are willing to invest time and effort in three specific ways: accepting virtual team challenges, discussing rules, and team connection What follows is a practical guide for managers to transfer findings to their virtual team reality.

Practical recommendations for remote work

A. Lechner, J. Tobias Mortlock, How to create psychological safety in virtual teams, Organ Dyn (2021),
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2021.100849

How to create psychological safety in virtual
teams

Employees should look to shift or encompass new perspectives of other employees when given the opportunity to do so, making them further compatible. Additionally, employees should hold an optimistic point of view and view problems not as a burden but as an opportunity for education. Each employee may take more or less time than the other to adapt to these changes, so it is pertinent that each worker is provided enough time to adapt. 

Accepting Virtual Team Challenges

Employers and employees must regularly check in with colleagues and schedule informal meetings to ensure that connection exists on a non-work or formal level. This connection is essential for partnership and work efficiency with colleagues. To help with this a connection toolkit can be created to facilitate growth in relationships. Team building events can additionally be created to help organize and grow the group as a whole. 

Connecing As Human Beings

Visual representation of enablers for a psychologically safe virtual environment

Giving employees opportunities to familiarize themselves with the technology used within the work environment and the groundwork for how the office functions are extremely crucial to work efficiency. Scheduling a goal-setting session can also improve worker productivity and help establish the basis for rules as well. 

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