CONDITIONS FOR SAFER CARE
The Pilot
A team version of our full engagement
A version of our full engagement designed for up to 30 people from one established team — for example, a nursing unit or department in the United States, or a ward or service team in England.
30
people maximum, from one established team that already works together
7
steps, from leadership readiness to the learning review
3 Hrs
one facilitated team meeting at the centre of the journey
WHAT THE PILOT IS
Experience the process
with one team, then decide
It gives healthcare systems the opportunity to experience CFSC with one team and use the findings, team feedback and learning to decide whether to pursue a full engagement.
Through a pilot version of Leadership Architect, a psychological safety scan, a facilitated team conversation and practical action planning, we help leaders and their team explore the conditions shaping everyday work, identify priorities and connect them with the people who can respond
The pilot gives your organisation a practical understanding of the CFSC process. Together, we review how the pilot helped the team, what remains unresolved and what participants thought of the experience. That learning, alongside remeasurement and action progress, informs your decision about further engagement.
WHAT THE PILOT IS
What the pilot helps you understand
How CFSC works in practice
Experience the process from leadership readiness through team inquiry, action and review.
What it contributed to the team
Examine what was useful, what changed, what remained difficult and the team’s feedback.
Whether to engage further
Use the findings and experience to decide whether a wider CFSC engagement fits your organization’s needs.
THE JOURNEY
Seven steps, one team
1
Leadership readiness and Leadership Architect
Leaders participate in a pilot version of Leadership Architect, which prepares them to view everyday work through the lens of psychological safety and supports the team’s participation throughout the pilot.
This preparation draws on Dr. Amy C. Edmondson’s research and the practical leadership tools described in The Fearless Organization. Her toolkit addresses setting the stage, inviting participation and responding productively. Leadership Architect is TPCO’s application within CFSC, governed by the Conditions Chain; this attribution does not claim that Dr. Edmondson created, endorsed or validated our program. Read Edmondson’s explanation of the leadership toolkit.
Within the CFSC pilot, leaders explore how to:
Reframe the work
Recognise uncertainty, interdependence and the importance of people being able to raise questions, concerns and different perspectives.
Invite participation
Ask thoughtful questions, listen with curiosity and make space for the team’s knowledge and experience.
Respond productively
Acknowledge contributions, explore concerns and agree on appropriate next steps while maintaining accountability.
We also work with the leader and relevant sponsor to agree on the pilot’s purpose and confirm the time, support and authority needed to respond. Readiness is confirmed before team participation begins.
2
Team introduction and context setting
We introduce Conditions for Safer Care, explain psychological safety and outline what the pilot involves. Team members learn how participation works, how their responses will be protected, how findings will be used and what happens next. There is space for questions before the scan.
3
Psychological safety scan
Team members are invited to complete the scan. It provides a starting picture of the team’s perceptions of psychological safety. Findings are shared through an authorised, protected team report and used to guide further conversation.
4
Leader pre-brief
The facilitator reviews the protected team report with the leader, explores what the findings can and cannot tell us, and helps the leader apply their Leadership Architect preparation when listening and responding during the team meeting.
5
Team debrief
Together, the team explores the report and connects the findings with everyday work. Guided discussion, reflection and visual mapping help participants consider different perspectives and the conditions supporting or hindering the work.
6
Team action planning and follow-through
The team and leader agree on a small set of practical priorities, with clear owners and review points. They identify what can be addressed locally and what requires wider organisational support. Between the meeting and remeasurement, agreed owners carry actions forward and keep the team informed about progress, barriers and next steps.
Follow-through takes place after the meeting, before the learning review. The overall schedule is agreed with the organisation.
7
Remeasurement and learning review
At an agreed point, when there has been a meaningful opportunity to put actions into practice, we revisit psychological safety using the scan where a valid comparison is possible. We review the findings alongside action progress and the team’s feedback to understand how the pilot helped, what remains difficult and what participants learned from the experience. This review helps the healthcare system decide whether to pursue further CFSC engagement.
Psychological safety is the condition for information flow.
TPCO
PARTICIPATION
Protecting participation
Participation is voluntary. Before the scan, we agree and explain how identities and responses will be protected, who can access the team report and how findings will be used.
Results are used for learning and inquiry, not individual performance assessment.
Participation is voluntary
Protections are agreed and explained before the scan
Leaders receive only authorized aggregate findings
No access to individual answers or individual completion status
Findings inform learning, not individual performance assessment
NEXT STOP
Talk with TPCO about experiencing CFSC with one team and using what you learn to inform your next decision.
