Getting to the Heart of Psychological Safety (Part 1)

This series asks Professor Toshiro Murase of Waseda University about the essence of communication. In this industry, where English terms like communication, collaboration, relationship, and engagement often dominate, what exactly are they? Professor Murase provides a clear explanation.

Finding Your "Place"

The term "psychological safety" is becoming established in society. Simply put, it refers to "the conditions necessary to maintain safety and thrive within the workplace, home, or society."

On the other hand, especially in the workplace, we hear daily cries of "Challenge!" "Reform!" "Win this deal no matter what!" There is no such thing as a psychologically safe battlefield. First, Mr. Murase explains this dilemma.

"I believe sharing the goal is crucial. That builds team strength, and it's precisely because the goal is shared that psychological safety can be achieved. In work terms, gaining or providing psychological safety is not the goal itself. Ensuring psychological safety is ultimately a means, not an end."

Toshiro Murase:
Associate Professor, Waseda University School of Commerce. After graduating high school in 1997, he moved to the United States. Earned his Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Central Florida in 2011. Served as a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University and Georgia Institute of Technology before teaching at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Assumed his current position in September 2017. Specializes in research on leadership and teamwork.

Working as an editor, I often encounter this kind of observation. We tend to confuse means with ends. The means themselves somehow become the goal. "Our internal digitalization has reached X%. The percentage of female managers has exceeded Y%. Oh, that's great." But isn't that just a means, not the end? The true goal should be how to effectively leverage the power of digital technology and the power of women.

"For a team, individual roles, rules, and routines are also extremely important. It's about sharing a common framework while keeping the same goal in sight, and finding your place within that. Without that, people only think about their own work or focus solely on winning within the team. That can only be a hindrance to reaching the goal, right? In sports terms, it's like celebrating 'Yay! I got a starting spot!' within the team. Obviously, winning the game is the goal."

Parity is the Japanese sense of security

"For example, terms like 'engagement' often take on a life of their own in the business world. It's a word used in various contexts—like commitment, loyalty, centripetal force. But based on your point, Mr. Murase, does that mean we're just sharing the word itself, not its true essence?" In response to this editorial team observation, Mr. Murase replied:

"As I mentioned in this series, thinking of engagement as 'being fully absorbed' makes it easier to visualize. When the entire team, including business partners, unites and becomes fully absorbed in their work with vitality—creating that state ensures the project moves forward steadily and delivers results. The term 'vision,' often used when explaining management policies, is similar. When you hear 'vision,' it can easily sound like empty rhetoric. But if you convey it as 'Let's all get deeply immersed in working towards this goal!', it resonates with people and makes concrete actions easier to visualize."

To convey this, Murase says it's crucial to communicate the image in your mind using your own words to the team. "Japanese people and Japanese companies are always looking sideways. As long as everyone is in line, psychological safety is maintained. But when told, 'That's not good enough. Reform! Challenge!', they suddenly try to be the sole winner, even if it means stepping on others. Neither approach is efficient or productive, right? Only when you find work you truly want to immerse yourself in, and build a team that shares that same passion and goal, can great work emerge and differentiation from rival companies be achieved." (Continued in Final Episode #06)

Waseda University, where Mr. Murase serves as Associate Professor

[Editor's Note]

Personally, I had interpreted the term "psychological safety" with a nuance akin to "a guarantee of security." As if having graduated from a top university, holding an MBA, or carrying the title of department head at a major corporation meant you were already secure, your goals achieved. But listening to Mr. Murase, I realized I had been profoundly mistaken.
Mr. Murase's gaze is always directed outward. You could say he observes the organization from the outside. As long as you seek a "guarantee of security," you cannot create anything new. The world you see inevitably becomes "internal." Trying to please your boss or avoid being disliked by your subordinates—such concerns cannot possibly generate innovation. No matter how many people focused solely on their own safety and security gather, they do not form a team.
The theme of this series is "What is a team?" In the final installment, #06, I want to finally delve into the essence of the word "team," which gained sudden attention through rugby.