Press Release: 2024-12-04

Why Cultivating Psychological Safety Should be a Critical Part of Your Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Strategy

 



DEC 03, 2024



 



Guest Blog By Arden Pennell, Senior Director of Culture, DEIB and Organizational Development at Ultragenyx





Guest author Arden Pennell, Senior Director of Culture, DEIB and Organizational Development – Ultragenyx, fosters a high-performing culture of awareness, purpose, and compassion at Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical.



One of the most important elements to advancing a company’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) strategy is cultivating a psychologically safe environment.



What is this exactly? Psychological safety is defined as a shared belief held by members of a team that “it’s OK to take risks, to express ideas and concerns, to speak up with questions, and to admit mistakes … without fear of negative consequences,” according to Amy Edmondson, a Harvard Business School professor who has long studied the topic.



Why is psychological safety so important? Because the presence of diverse identities alone won’t automatically lead to their full expression. Team members must also feel accepted to be who they are, rather than who they believe they are supposed to be. They must feel empowered to speak up, say what they see, ask questions, engage in debate, and challenge assumptions. Most importantly, everyone must understand that a sense of belonging can be lost when people fear negative consequences for doing any of those things.



At Ultragenyx, making sure we’re all able to operate at our fullest potential as a diverse group is critical as we work to lead the future of rare disease medicine. This is why we continue to invest in DEIB and why psychological safety has become a priority for us (and a passion of mine!).



Four Focus Areas for Building Psychological Safety and How We Implement Them 




  1. Leadership Role Modeling and Education: To truly foster an inclusive culture of value and respect, companies need the full commitment of leadership. When leaders are open, authentic, and vulnerable, it creates conditions where others are safe to be themselves as well. At Ultragenyx, this culture begins with our founder and CEO, Dr. Emil Kakkis, who believes that an inclusive workplace keeps our teams inspired, empowered, and free to share new ideas – and, therefore, better equipped to find innovative solutions that advance the treatment of those living with rare diseases. This philosophy is embraced by our entire executive team, and we also provide continuous support to all leaders through leadership development programs and events. Assessments that measure psychological safety help us identify areas for improvement – and opportunities to build on strengths. Team events allow us to further hone these skills, to ensure everyone is aligned and equally capable in the behaviors that foster belonging and inclusion.

  2. Mindset Education for All Employees: Conducting ‘breakthrough’ or difficult conversions can, when conducted with thoughtfulness and authenticity, lead to breakthroughs in building trust. The conversations could be on topics explicitly associated with DEIB, such as microaggressions or offensive comments, or other topics such as improving working relationships or resolving conflict. The goal is for everyone to know their voice matters, and that they are encouraged to have and receive conversations with colleagues. We’ve had success by providing workshops to employees on how to have these conversations and on effectively seeking, giving, and receiving feedback. Another example is our Empowered Mindset Workshop, which is a core component of our company culture. It is the principle that everyone can influence a situation and create great results together. This encourages staff to speak up when they see issues and feel more ownership to advance solutions. On a personal note, after having been discouraged from speaking up at times earlier in my career, this empowered mindset at Ultragenyx was refreshing and created a radical sense of safety.

  3. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): ERGs can help drive awareness about important inclusion and diversity topics while inspiring positive change within an organization and beyond. At Ultragenyx, we have seven ERGs, each with the support of an executive sponsor and a budget. They host regular all-employee events, from classes that celebrate and share a part of their community’s culture – such as martial arts, dancing, or food – to discussion panels on important topics like diversity in healthcare or how to be an effective ally.

  4. Performance Management: Psychologically safe behaviors such as being open to new or opposing viewpoints and creating an environment where healthy and productive debate is encouraged, need to be a part of an organization’s performance management process. At Ultragenyx, these values aren’t hypothetical – we have listed specific on-the-job behaviors for each value at the individual, manager and leadership levels. We then use this information as part of our performance management evaluations. 



Creating an environment where everyone has the psychological safety to feel seen, heard and understood is vital if you want your DEIB strategy to succeed.



For more information about Ultragenyx and its efforts to create an environment where all team members can bring their whole selves to work, please visit: https://www.ultragenyx.com/join-our-team/culture/.