Neurobiological safety in the team
About what helps people cultivate safety and trust.
Programme description
How a team functions is shaped not only by skills, goals, and work organisation, but also by how people experience everyday workplace situations. Time pressure, uncertainty, communication styles, and responses to mistakes can all influence stress levels, openness to collaboration, and decision-making capacity.
The Neurobiological Safety in the Team programme helps you understand how the autonomic nervous system responds to stress and cues of safety, and how these responses translate into communication, relationships, and collaboration. We draw on the Polyvagal Theory perspective to explore three main response patterns: mobilisation, collapse/shutdown, and the state that fosters connection and social engagement.
During the workshop, we create a Team Autonomic Map, identify individual and team cues of safety, as well as situations and factors that can trigger tension or hinder collaboration. We also work with a Resource Map to recognise what helps people regain balance and navigate the demands of the working environment more effectively.
The programme aims to translate knowledge of nervous system responses into practical actions that support wellbeing, communication, and team effectiveness.
Who is it for
The programme is designed for:
- teams working under pressure, in conditions of uncertainty or frequent changes;
- leaders and managers who want to better understand their own stress responses and those of their colleagues;
- teams experiencing tension, communication difficulties, or a drop in engagement;
- organisations wishing to create an environment fostering trust, open communication, and collaboration;
- teams that want to consciously cultivate conditions conducive to focus, decision-making, and mutual support;
- organisations investing in employee well-being and burnout prevention.
Programme outcomes
Uczestnicy:
- better understand the autonomic nervous system's fundamental responses to stress and cues of safety;
- learn the three main response patterns described in Polyvagal Theory;
- identify individual and team cues of safety;
- recognise situations, behaviours and working conditions that can heighten tension;
- discover resources that support stress regulation and regaining balance;
- increase awareness of how the working environment and communication affect team functioning;
- identify what changes can improve the quality of collaboration and mutual support;
- develop tangible actions that support the team's safety and effectiveness.
How the programme works
Understanding the neurobiology of stress
We look at how the autonomic nervous system responds to stress, uncertainty, and cues of safety. We explore three main response patterns: mobilisation, collapse/shutdown, and the state that fosters connection, engagement, and collaboration.
We create the Team Autonomic Map
We identify individual and team cues of safety. We explore which signals, behaviours, and conditions help people feel safer, communicate more freely, and collaborate more effectively.
We identify stress triggers
We map out a list of situations, communications, and environmental factors that can trigger tension, hyperarousal, or withdrawal. We look at them without judgment, seeking ways to reduce their negative impact on everyday work.
We develop a Resource Map
We identify what helps individuals and the whole team regain balance and handle demanding situations. We explore individual, relational, and organisational resources, such as supportive communication, clear principles, predictability, and access to support.
We create an action plan
We translate workshop insights into concrete solutions. The team defines priorities and actions that can foster a sense of safety, improve communication, and strengthen the effectiveness of working together.
Outcome: we consciously build conditions that foster collaboration
The outcome of the workshop is a deeper understanding of how stress and the work environment affect people, as well as a shared language for discussing needs and the conditions that foster collaboration.
The Team Autonomic Map, triggers list, and Resource Map help translate this knowledge into practical actions that support employee wellbeing and team effectiveness.