A Dialogue-Based Intervention Model for Nurturing Team Psychological Safety in Strategic R&D Project Teams

Strategic R&D projects are complex in nature, include several uncertainties and necessitates risky decisions involving knowledge, skills, attitudes or perceptions of team members. A strategic R&D project aimed at development of innovative technology and new products requires a team environment which facilitates team members to contribute intellectually, listen intently to each other and communicate their viewpoints, opinions or feedbacks in a free and honest manner. Psychological Safety, defined as a shared confidence that team members are in a safe climate for taking interpersonal risks, can be considered as an essential team quality for these project teams. In a psychologically safe climate, team members will be forthcoming to share their knowledge and engage pro-actively in project activities, without being afraid of any negative consequences or criticisms. Unfortunately, R&D team members are generally core technical specialists with limited inter-personal communication skills and may not be naturally comfortable in working collectively as part of a team. These professionals should enjoy good working relationships with other teammates and should inherently feel that it is comfortable to propose fresh ideas, innovative suggestions and work together to achieve the project objectives. Such a collaborative environment can be created only through methodically planned team interventions that nurture psychological safety and enhance mutual trust between team members. Several research studies have conclusively found Organizational Dialogue, which is a discipline of shared thinking, inquiry and communication, as an effective tool in this regard. In this paper, a team intervention model designed based on Bohm’s dialogic method is proposed. A case study of a strategic R&D project in which the proposed intervention model was applied is also discussed along with preliminary results based on direct observations of the first author, in his role as the leader of the project team.