The Symbiotic Relationship Between Psychological Safety and Serious Gaming

Serious games can be a powerful tool to practice with behaviours that reinforce psychological- or social safety. However, to unleash the full potential of this learning medium for leadership and team development having this safe space is a condition.

In this blogpost I explain the symbiotic relationship between psychological safety and playing serious games. And how the medium can be a powerful learning intervention for organizations that want to reinforce this within their learning organisation.

Psychological safety

sychological safety is an important topic for many organizations today. As societal challenges and complex transitions grow, the need for organisations to remain flexible becomes ever more pressing. Peter Senge’s concept of ‘Learning Organizations’ highlights the importance of continuous learning and capability enhancement (Senge, 1990). However, learning inherently involves making mistakes, which can be particularly challenging in high-pressure environments where mistakes are often frowned upon.

Psychological safety is essential for a true learning organization (Edmondson, 2018). But what exactly does this concept entail? Consider a simple scenario: you’ve worked diligently to achieve a goal or try something new, but you fail. Now, you must inform your manager or team about the failure. The response you receive will reveal the presence of psychological safety. If your team or manager shows curiosity about what went wrong and what you’ve learned, then you’re in a psychologically safe environment. Conversely, if you’re shamed for making mistakes or discouraged from taking risks, it’s a sign that psychological safety is lacking.

Achieving psychological safety is a gradual process that stems from collective behavior and leadership, rather than something that can be implemented overnight. So, how does this relate to serious gaming, and how can games help foster a culture of psychological safety?

Serious gaming and psychological safety

As a game designer, I find the relationship between psychological safety and serious gaming fascinating. Serious games are a form of experiential learning (Kolb, 2014). They set players up for failure (a key learning mechanism in games) and provide feedback to promote improvement. For this process to be effective, players must feel comfortable reflecting on their mistakes and seeking help from others. Thus, a baseline level of psychological safety is necessary for serious games to be effective learning tools. If an organization discourages mistake-making, experiential learning through games won’t work as intended, and more traditional, linear education methods might be preferred.

However, here’s the interesting part: serious games can also be used to demonstrate and understand the importance of psychological safety. Through games, participants can safely make mistakes, admit them, and experience collective support in improving. This can be difficult to replicate in real-life scenarios where stakes are high. Games provide a fictional yet realistic environment where players can explore, experiment, and connect with minimal consequences. This makes them an excellent method for teams to practice and discuss psychological safety norms and expectations.

Take, for example, the serious game “Reconnect,” which we use at Frisse Blikken as a leadership and team-building intervention. In this game, players collaborate to save a fictional manufacturing company from bankruptcy, taking on roles ranging from factory employees to board members. The game unfolds in multiple rounds, with group discussions after each round to review results and reflect on improvements. These moments are perfect for discussing mistakes and brainstorming ways to improve, and most often, they do!

Having observed over 50 sessions of this game, I’ve noticed a significant difference in group dynamics. Groups that struggle to admit mistakes and share concerns often find it challenging to achieve results. In contrast, groups that welcome all voices, where leaders demonstrate vulnerability, participants seek input, and the group responds constructively to shared mistakes, tend to thrive and operate smoothly.

This may sound like a no-brainer. And of course, we all know that these dynamics are the conditions for successful high performing teams. The point that I am making is that in can help to connect this behavior to actual results, showing the power of investing in psychological safety.

Psychological safety is vital for fostering a learning organization, where mistakes are seen as opportunities for growth. Serious games provide a powerful tool to build and reinforce this culture by creating safe spaces for experimentation and open dialogue. However, they also require some level of safety to unleash their full potential. It is not a magic bullet. By integrating serious gaming, organizations can cultivate an environment of trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

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Tim Jansen

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Achtergrond: phD in Human Resource Management en Organizational Behavior. Master Arbeids- en Organisatiepsychologie

Mijn verborgen talent is… Sportgerelateerde vragen in een pubquiz beantwoorden.

Met dit nummer begint mijn weekend: Tash Sultana – Jungle

Als ik later groot ben dan… Heb ik een bedrijf dat mensen helpt om hun leven leuker te maken.

Gerben Tolkamp

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