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By:

Rahul Kulkarni

30 March 2025 at 3:32:54 pm

Psychological Safety, The Prerequisite for Modernisation

If people can’t tell you the truth, your dashboards will lie for them. So now you finally have what most leaders think they need: a system. And yet… the system still doesn’t show the truth. Numbers look “clean”. Reports look “reasonable”. Problems show up late. Bad news arrives only when it becomes a fire. This is where many leaders get fooled. They look at the dashboard and think, “Great, we’re improving.” And then reality punches them. A shipment fails. A customer escalates. A vendor...

Psychological Safety, The Prerequisite for Modernisation

If people can’t tell you the truth, your dashboards will lie for them. So now you finally have what most leaders think they need: a system. And yet… the system still doesn’t show the truth. Numbers look “clean”. Reports look “reasonable”. Problems show up late. Bad news arrives only when it becomes a fire. This is where many leaders get fooled. They look at the dashboard and think, “Great, we’re improving.” And then reality punches them. A shipment fails. A customer escalates. A vendor refuses. Cash gets stuck. Quality blows up. The issue is not your tool. The issue is fear. Which Seat? Inherited seat: people fear disappointing you, so they hide issues until they’re unavoidable. Hired seat: people fear you’ll judge them, so they show you what looks good. Promoted seat: people fear the relationship has changed, so they become careful and political. Different seats. Same outcome: silence. Doctor-Patient Problem Think about a doctor. The doctor can be brilliant. The hospital can be world-class. The tests can be advanced. But if the patient hides symptoms, the diagnosis will be wrong. Not because the doctor is bad. Because the input is false. That’s what modernisation looks like without psychological safety. You can buy software. You can design processes. You can set up dashboards. But if people can’t tell you the truth, your “data” will become polite fiction. And you’ll make confident decisions on top of fiction. What Is Safety? People hear “psychological safety” and imagine a soft HR concept. It’s not soft. It’s operational. Amy Edmondson, who researched this deeply, describes it simply: a climate where people feel safe to speak up, admit mistakes, ask questions, and raise bad news without being punished or humiliated. In MSME language, it means: “If I report a problem, I won’t be insulted.” “If I admit a mistake, I won’t be made a permanent example.” “If I raise a risk early, I won’t be told I’m negative.” “If I tell the truth, I won’t lose my standing.” If those beliefs don’t exist, people will still “cooperate” but it will be theatre. Hidden Blocker Low-data firms don’t naturally produce truth. They produce stories. Why? Because stories protect people. A late dispatch becomes: “customer changed plan”A defect becomes: “labour issue”A missed purchase becomes: “vendor problem”A cash delay becomes: “accounts is slow” Each story may contain some truth. But the function of the story is usually protection. So when you introduce digitisation, something changes: Now the story has to match a number. And if the number can expose someone, the system will do the only thing it knows: It will manage the number. That’s how dashboards become lies. Not because people are dishonest by nature.Because honesty has become unsafe. The Signs Bad news comes late, always. Meetings are full of explanations, not facts. “No issues” is the most common update. Problems are discovered by customers, not internally. People speak more in corridors than in review meetings. Everyone looks busy, but nothing is owned. If you see these signs, your modernisation effort is at risk. Because the system will look healthy until it breaks. Most leaders don’t wake up and say, “Let me create fear.” They kill safety through small habits: Sarcasm in meetings Public scolding Reacting emotionally to bad news Asking “who did this?” before asking “why did this happen?” Using pilot data for appraisal Praising only “good numbers” and punishing messy truths One harsh moment teaches the room a long lesson. After that, people stop volunteering reality. They start managing perception. Field Test Pick one recent failure. Not the biggest scandal. A real, medium-sized problem. Gather the involved people for 30–45 minutes. Then follow three rules: Start with the line: “This is not a blame meeting. This is a learning meeting.” And mean it. Ask only these questions: What happened, in sequence? Where did the handoff break? What made the wrong action feel reasonable at the time? What one change reduces the chance of repeat? No names, no insults, no ‘how can you’ If someone makes it personal, you bring it back to the process and the moment. Now the most important part: Track whether people volunteer issues unprompted in the next two weeks. That is the real signal. If people start bringing small problems early, safety is rising. If they stay silent and “all good”, your system is still running on fear. (The writer is a Chartered Accountant based in Thane. Views personal.)

Gun Violence in America

Updated: Jan 2, 2025

Gun Violence in America

On December 16, 2024, tragedy struck Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, where a 15-year-old student, Natalie Rupnow, fatally shot a fellow student and a teacher before taking her own life. Six others were injured, with two in critical condition. This devastating event is a grim reminder of the United States' ongoing struggle with gun violence, particularly in schools.


A Long History of Gun Ownership in America

The issue of gun violence in the United States cannot be discussed without acknowledging its deep-rooted history of gun ownership. The right to bear arms is enshrined in the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1791, which states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”


Initially, this amendment was intended to empower citizens to form militias for self-defense during a time when standing armies were distrusted. Over the centuries, however, the interpretation of the Second Amendment has evolved. Today, it is often cited as a justification for individual gun ownership, a concept reinforced by landmark court cases such as District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), which affirmed an individual's right to own firearms for self-defense.


Gun culture is deeply ingrained in American society, with nearly 400 million firearms in civilian hands—more guns than people. This level of accessibility, coupled with a powerful gun lobby led by organizations like the National Rifle Association (NRA), has made significant legislative reform difficult.


Gun Violence in Numbers

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), firearms cause approximately 40,000 deaths annually in the United States—equivalent to 109 deaths per day. This figure includes homicides, suicides, and accidental shootings. Among children and teenagers, firearms are now the leading cause of death, surpassing motor vehicle accidents.


School shootings are a particularly horrifying aspect of gun violence in America. Since 1990, there have been over 800 incidents in K-12 schools, resulting in more than 500 deaths and over 1,000 injuries. High-profile tragedies such as the Columbine High School massacre (1999), the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting (2012), and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School attack (2018) have shocked the nation and the world, yet meaningful reforms remain elusive.


A Global Comparison

The United States stands out among developed nations for its high rate of gun violence. In countries like Australia, Canada, and much of Europe, strict gun control measures have significantly reduced firearm-related deaths. For example: By contrast, the firearm-related death rate in the United States is 12.2 per 100,000 people, significantly higher than other developed nations. The prevalence of guns and the lack of uniform gun control laws contribute to this disparity.


Challenges in Addressing Gun Violence

Efforts to reduce gun violence in the U.S. have faced significant obstacles. One of the most notable is the prohibition of federal funding for gun violence research. In 1996, Congress passed the Dickey Amendment, effectively barring the CDC from studying gun violence as a public health issue. Although the funding ban was partially lifted in 2019, its legacy has left the country with a limited understanding of the causes and solutions to gun violence.


Advocates have long called for measures such as:

• Universal Background Checks: Closing loopholes in gun sales to ensure that all firearm purchases are subject to background checks.

• Safe Storage Laws: Requiring gun owners to store firearms securely to prevent unauthorized access.

• Bans on Certain Firearms: Prohibiting the sale of assault-style weapons, which are often used in mass shootings.


The Debate Over Gun Rights and Reform

The debate over gun control in the United States often pits the rights of gun owners against the need for public safety. Opponents of stricter gun laws argue that restrictions infringe on constitutional rights and fail to address the root causes of violence, such as mental health issues. Proponents, however, point to the success of gun control measures in other countries and the overwhelming public support for policies like background checks.


A Way Forward

Despite the challenges, there is growing momentum for change. Grassroots organizations, survivors of gun violence, and some lawmakers are advocating for comprehensive reforms. The Madison school shooting serves as a stark reminder of the urgency of these efforts. As the nation grapples with its gun violence epidemic, it must look to both its history and the experiences of other countries to find a path toward a safer future.


(The author is a resident of US. Views personal.)

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