Team Compassion at Work: Psychological Safety & Better Outcomes | Helena Nguyen

Have you ever worked in a team where something went wrong — and you could feel the difference between blame and support?In this episode of Compassion in a T-Shirt, Dr Stan Steindl speaks with Professor Helena Nguyen about workplace compassion as a team- and organisation-level capability, not just an individual trait.Interest in compassion at work has grown rapidly — driven by burnout, faster and leaner workplaces, the impact of COVID-19, and the rise of AI prompting questions about what remains uniquely human at work. Helena explains why focusing only on individual compassion can create blame and unsustainable expectations, especially in high-pressure environments like healthcare.We explore:. Why workload weakens the impact of compassionate care. What team compassion actually looks like in day-to-day work. How team mindfulness enables shared awareness and coordinated support. The role of shared mental models (think “soccer team” sync under pressure). Why compassion improves psychological safety, speaking up, learning, and patient safety. Research linking compassionate care to better treatment outcomes and even mortality rates. The hidden cost of “just be compassionate” cultures — burnout and workforce loss. Organisational barriers: mindset, culture, systems, incentives, and leadership. Practical starting points: self-compassion, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, difficult conversations, and circles of control. We also discuss the future of compassion research — moving beyond heroic individual narratives toward team compassion and compassionate organising, and normalising vulnerability, grief, and suffering in professional life.. Compassion isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s a strategic necessity — good for people, teams, and performance.This conversation draws on the recent special issue on compassion in organisations in the Australian Journal of Management. The link to the special issue is in the description below.Timestamps00:00 Compassion at Work: Why Teams Matter01:58 Burnout, COVID & the New Work Reality04:03 AI & the Future of Human Skills07:21 The Risks of Blaming Individuals10:23 Self-Compassion at Work12:16 What Team Compassion Looks Like15:24 Team Mindfulness & Shared Awareness22:24 When Competition Kills Compassion23:42 Compassion, Performance & Patient Safety29:22 The Hidden Cost of “Just Be Compassionate”32:46 Organisational Barriers to Compassion38:02 Practical Starting Points46:37 The Future: Team Compassion & Compassionate Organising48:57 Vulnerability, Grief & Humanity at WorkLinks:For the Special Issue in the Australian Journal of Management got here:https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/auma/50/3?_gl=1*1yyxzqx*_up*MQ..*_ga*NjY2MDQ2ODg0LjE3NzEyMjA3NjU.*_ga_60R758KFDG*czE3NzEyMjg1MjQkbzIkZzAkdDE3NzEyMjg1MjQkajYwJGwwJGgxMzczNTQ3NjgxFor more about Professor Helena Nguyen go here:https://profiles.sydney.edu.au/helena.nguyen If you would like to learn more about compassion focused therapy, you can find Dr Stan Steindl's book The Gifts of Compassion here: https://www.ausapress.com/p/the-gifts-of-compassion-how-to-understand-and-overcome-suffering/ Say hi on social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drstansteindl Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/StanSteindl Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_stan_steindl/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stan-steindl-150a5264/ Website: https://www.stansteindl.com/ YouTube Video URL: https://youtu.be/eyKJZewU2yw *Affiliate Disclaimer: Note this description contains affiliate links that allow you to find the items mentioned in this video and support the channel at no cost to you. While this channel may earn minimal sums when the viewer uses the links, the viewer is in no way obligated to use these links. Thank you for your support! Video hashtags:workplace compassion, team compassion, psychological safety, compassionate leadership, patient safety, organisational culture