Exploring the needs, motivations and ideas of those closest to the problem - often front line staff and service users - is essential to deliver sustainable change that is fit for purpose. But not everyone feels comfortable to speak up about problems or share ideas, which means potential ideas and innovation could be missed.

It is important in improvement work to create 'psychological safety' - this is an environment in which everyone feels safe to highlight issues or contribute ideas without fear of judgement, blame or ridicule.

Embedding a culture of psychological safety in teams can take time and patience, but will enable a true understanding of the issues, and enable creativity and innovation to flow in teams.

When using some of the tools and techniques in this booklet to explore a problem or generate ideas with your team, think about creating psychological safety so that everyone feels able to contribute their experience.

You could consider establishing some ground rules before starting a session, for example:

• Everyone is equal - leave hierarchy at the door
• Mutual respect between all participants
• All ideas are treated equally
• 'Out of the box' ideas are encouraged
• Active listening is practised - no interrupting
• Everyone has the opportunity to contribute
• Adopt a learning mindset - encourage curiosity over blame