Video | At Cross-Purposes: Promoting Accountability vs 'Speak up'

In this session, Stephen Scott moderated a conversation with Amy Edmondson and Paul Seabright on the complexities of organizational behavior, particularly around promoting accountability and encouraging a culture where employees feel safe to speak up. Paul Seabright began by discussing the evolutionary basis of social institutions and how they shape modern behavior, emphasizing the tension between the urge to conform and the necessity to address issues candidly within organizations. This foundational discussion set the stage for exploring how these dynamics play out in professional settings.

Amy Edmondson expanded on the concept of psychological safety, defining it as a work environment where individuals feel confident that taking interpersonal risks, such as voicing concerns or admitting mistakes, will not lead to negative consequences. She highlighted the difficulty of creating such environments due to inherent human tendencies to avoid standing out or appearing unreliable. Edmondson emphasized that fostering psychological safety requires deliberate effort to encourage open communication and learning from failures, which are crucial for organizational resilience and success.