The Australian software company Atlassian recently published results of a study into the health of teams with evidence from 1,500 team members outside of Atlassian in the US and Australia.

They found that 88% of participants operate in an ‘unhealthy’ environment.

56 percent feel their team is poorly connected on a personal level, and 37 percent feel like they can’t try new things or express themselves fully.

I wonder why 37 % of participants can’t express themselves fully? The reasons for holding back might be:

• fear of being penalised unnecessarily

• perceived lack of impact or influence

• fear of not looking like a team player

This disconnection and fear results from persistent blocks to curiosity and creativity.

When we hear new ideas or questions, do we choose to create fear and disconnection or inclusion and exploration?