The Fearless Organization Book Summary - The Fearless Organization Book explained in key points
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The Fearless Organization summary

Amy C. Edmondson

Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth

4.6 (368 ratings)
20 mins

Brief summary

The Fearless Organization by Amy C. Edmondson is a management book that explores how to build a culture of psychological safety in the workplace, promoting honest communication, learning, and innovation, resulting in a more successful and resilient organization.

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    The Fearless Organization
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    Worrying about how we’re perceived prevents us from doing our best work.

    Imagine you’re sitting in a strategy meeting. Your boss has shared some of the challenges that need to be addressed, and now she’s asking the team to come up with suggestions. You’ve got an idea, but you’re worried that others will think it’s no good. So, rather than risk it, you keep your thoughts to yourself.

    Whether it happens in a meeting, a classroom, or even around a dinner table, most of us have experience of having something to say but holding back in case it made other people think less of us. We learn to do this early; as children, we start caring what our peers think and avoid saying or doing anything that could make us look silly, weak, or not as cool as everyone else. 

    By the time we’re adults, the habit of silencing and restricting ourselves is almost unconscious, and it prevents us from speaking up when we have ideas, questions, or concerns at work. 

    In a 2003 study into people speaking up in the workplace, academics Frances J. Milliken, Elizabeth W. Morrison, and Patricia F. Hewlin found that 85 percent of study participants felt unable to approach their bosses with concerns about work. The most common reason for this? The participants didn’t want their bosses to see them in a negative light. 

    Even seemingly confident people experience this. Take business innovator Nilofer Merchant; she was labeled a visionary by CNBC, and in 2013, she was awarded the Future Thinker Award by Thinkers50. But in a 2011 Harvard Business Review article, Nilofer shared that while working at Apple, she would keep quiet about problems she noticed because she didn’t want to be wrong. She’s quoted as saying, “I would rather keep my job by staying within the lines than say something and risk looking stupid.” 

    When fear gets in the way of people speaking up at work, it’s not only the individuals keeping silent who miss out. Companies also lose opportunities to generate new ideas, and this is especially dangerous in a world where businesses need to innovate if they want to succeed. 

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    Key ideas in The Fearless Organization

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    What is The Fearless Organization about?

    The Fearless Organization (2018) delves into psychological safety and how the workplace can become an environment in which everyone feels confident enough to pitch in and do their best. These blinks explain why people hold back on sharing their ideas at work, how this harms businesses, and how leaders can encourage a culture of openness, questioning, and experimentation that leads to learning and innovation. 

    Best quote from The Fearless Organization

    Those who are not the boss are seen as valued contributors, as people with crucial knowledge and insight.

    —Amy C. Edmondson
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    Who should read The Fearless Organization?

    • Forward-thinking leaders who want to encourage innovation and learning
    • Human resources managers looking to get the most out of their talent
    • Team players interested in creating a supportive workplace

    About the Author

    Amy C. Edmondson is a professor of leadership and management at the Harvard Business School. She’s been repeatedly ranked as one of the world’s most influential management thinkers by Thinkers50. She’s spent 20 years researching psychological safety, organizational learning, and leadership, and shared her expertise in publications such as the Harvard Business Review and the California Management Review. Edmondson is the author of Teaming and Teaming to Innovate, as well as the co-author of Building the Future and Extreme Teaming

     

    © Amy C. Edmondson: The Fearless Organization copyright 2018, John Wiley & Sons Inc. Used by permission of John Wiley & Sons Inc. and shall not be made available to any unauthorized third parties.

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