Explaining How to Become a "Workplace Where Everyone Can Say What They Want 　The book, "Which is the Workplace Where You Can Say Anything? 104 Questions to Create Psychological Safety" is now on sale.

Paja Pos, Inc. has released a book explaining how to become a "workplace where everyone can say what they want to say" entitled "Which is the Workplace Where Everyone Can Say Anything? 104 Questions to Create Psychological Safety" (Author: Katsuyuki Ikemoto) is now on sale.

Book Image

Generation Z (born between the late 1990s and 2012) has entered society, and it is said that the generation gap in communication in the business world has widened. This is the difference in values between Generation Z, who are digital natives and have taken the Internet for granted ever since they can remember, and the Showa Generation, who value face-to-face meetings and telephone calls.

For example, when a supervisor asks for a one-on-one meeting, which has been attracting attention recently, some young subordinates of Generation Z try to keep communication to the bare minimum, saying, "Is that really necessary?

So why do they want to avoid communication? The book, "Which is the Workplace Where You Can Say Anything? (Author: Katsuyuki Ikemoto) has been published by Jiyuukokumin-sha (3-10-11 Takada, Toshima-ku, Tokyo).

Link to Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E4%BD%95%E3%81%A7%E3%82%82%E8%A8%80%E3%81%88%E3%82%8B%E8%81%B7%E5%A0%B4%E3%81%AF%E3%81%A9%E3 %81%A3%E3%81%A1%EF%BC%9F%E2%80%95%E2%80%95%E3%80%8C%E5%BF%83%E7%90%86%E7%9A%84%E5%AE%89%E5%85%A8%E6%80%A7%E3%80%8D%E3%82%92%E3%81 A4%E3%81%8F%E3%82%8B104%E5%95%8F-%E6%B1%A0%E6%9C%AC-%E5%85%8B%E4%B9%8B/dp/4426129273/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1700552210&s=books&sr=1-1

A workplace with high psychological safety is symbolized by a workplace where everyone can say what they want to say. The reason why people cannot say what they want to say is because they have some kind of insecurity, such as "my boss will be angry with me" or "my coworkers will make fun of me. For example, if a boss wants to increase efficiency and asks you to multitask, to do several tasks at once, you may not be able to say, "I'm not good at that. In reality, it would be more efficient to do one task at a time in order of priority rather than multitasking, but the subordinate is too concerned about the boss's opinion of him or her to say so, and the subordinate loses motivation and efficiency. This is a loss of control.

In a situation where psychological safety is not ensured, it is not limited to Generation Z. They would rather wait for instructions than say something unnecessary and have things turn out troublesome. This is also the cause of the "instruction-waiting" mentality. In other words, in a workplace where psychological safety is not maintained, there are fewer opportunities for communication, and productivity declines as people wait for instructions. This is not conducive to personal growth or improved company performance.

This book also provides tips on how to increase psychological safety. One of them is to talk about things other than work, so-called "small talk. For supervisors to manage their subordinates, it is necessary to understand personal information. This is because what happens around subordinates affects their performance. And by discussing such personal information in the form of "small talk," the subordinate understands that it is okay to talk about it, and the supervisor is able to gain control of the subordinate's mind. If the supervisor learns that the child has a fever, he or she can send the child home early, thereby deepening the relationship of trust between the supervisor and the subordinate. The subordinate will be able to say what he or she could not say before the next time something happens, and this will affect his or her own motivation.

We are confident that the tips for improving psychological safety presented in this book will help people with all kinds of communication problems.

■Author Profile

Katsuyuki Ikemoto Photo

Katsuyuki Ikemoto

Organizational Learning Management Consultant President, Paja Pos, Inc.

Served as president at Dr. Sealabo and Netprice. He has been called a "listing contractor" for his contributions to the growth of the business and its listing on the stock exchange, including increasing annual sales from 300 million yen to 12 billion yen in just four years.

He continues to serve as an outside director of a listed company and is highly regarded as a management consultant focusing on organization building. His books, "33 Rules for 'Still Earners'" and "39 Shikake to Move 'Today's Subordinates'" (both published by Mikasa Shobo), and "What the Highest Rated People Do Even If They Don't Come to Work" (published by Nippon Jitsugyo Shuppansha), have been ranked No. 1 on Amazon.