Psychological Safety is an important factor in team performance. It's how members of the group feel about their making a contribution to the group without fear of damage to their self-image, status or career. That it's safe to take risks, giving individuals the courage and confidence to act.
In a DiG, psychological safety is established surprisingly quickly. Often in the retrospective people who have worked together for years recognise and share that they feel they know each other more deeply because of the experience. They are surprised about the personal stories shared by their colleagues in the pod, how quickly, but with confidence, people were open to becoming vulnerable that place.
In our first DiG, I invited Suzanne Jessen, a soon-to-be colleague at QASSP, to join the pod. At the completion, she said it was the best form of induction possible. She felt she knew the participants on a level that could be achieved after months of working together.
This has been observed in many DiGs. It does seem there is a capacity to build a team in powerful ways, perhaps providing a foundation for greater collective endeavours and, when completed by teaching teams, Collective Teacher Efficacy. The experience shared in a DiG provides a new level of psychological safety and a foundation for more collective work. I have observed that there is an acceptance and respect for the members of the Pod.
Next: Pondering the Path