The Foundations of Psychological Safety
In workplaces everywhere, conversations about psychological safety are gaining momentum. Leaders, teams, and organizations are waking up to its potential for driving innovation, fostering growth, and achieving high performance. Yet, despite its popularity, psychological safety is often misunderstood—reduced to a buzzword or oversimplified into concepts it doesn’t represent.
The real story is far richer. Psychological safety, as defined by Harvard researcher Dr. Amy C. Edmondson, is a shared belief that the team environment is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. It’s about creating a space where people feel secure enough to share ideas, voice concerns, and admit mistakes without fear of humiliation or retribution. In the mid 1990's she connected the concept to the performance of surgical teams. High-performance meant better medical outcomes and it was highly correltated to levels of psychological safety on those teams.
Since then researchers around the world have come to the same conclusion time and again. Psychological safety has only increase in relevance since then as we continue to count on other members of our team for success.
Importantly, psychological safety is not about making work easy or comfortable—it’s about enabling people to do their best work.
Read about how psychological safety and discomfort are a catlys for growth HERE
Why Psychological Safety Matters
At its core, psychological safety addresses the tension between impression management and authentic contribution. Impression management—our instinct to carefully curate actions in an attempt to control how we are perceived by others—often prevents people from speaking up, offering bold ideas, or admitting when they don’t know something. This self-censorship stifles growth, innovation, and team effectiveness.
This is particularly important for leaders. Teams act as the eyes and ears for whats working, whats not and ways to make things better. If we want growth, we need teams who feel they can contribute. When peopel are thinking about what and how they should say something, they simply say less or say what they are more sure will be received well.
Psychological safety counters this by removing the fear of negative repercussions. Maintaining our ability to challenge each other intellectually while keeping social friction low. When people feel safe, they’re more likely to contribute their full perspective, take risks, and engage in productive conflict. This is particularly critical in today’s fast-paced, competitive world, where innovation and high performance require collaboration, experimentation, and learning from failure. The modern challenges of work itself had led to the rise in conversation about psychological safety. Our work requires more interdependence and sharing of knowledge. The greater the degree of interdependent work, the greater our need for psychological safety to contribute to a successful outcome.
Research consistently shows that psychological safety improves:
• Innovation: Teams that feel safe are more likely to experiment, think outside the box, and challenge the status quo.
• Growth: Individuals and organizations learn faster when mistakes are viewed as opportunities to improve rather than reasons to blame.
• Performance: Far from being a trade-off, psychological safety enhances accountability and drives higher standards by empowering people to take ownership of their contributions.
Read this article if you want to see how psychological safety fits with other aspects like confidence, leadership behaviour and innovation.
Google’s Project Aristotle is one of the most compelling case studies proving the power of psychological safety in driving team performance. As part of their quest to understand what makes teams thrive, Google analyzed hundreds of teams and thousands of data points. The findings were surprising: the composition of the team mattered far less than how the team interacted.
At the heart of it all was psychological safety.
It wasn’t just a nice-to-have; it was the foundation of effectiveness, enabling trust, accountability, and the free flow of ideas. Project Aristotle confirmed what academic research had long known - when teams have a common goal - psychological safety forms the foundation of their success.
Read more about Project Aristotle HERE
Common Misconceptions
Despite its benefits, psychological safety is often misunderstood. Let’s debunk some of the most common myths:
1. Psychological safety means being “nice” all the time.
Misconception: Psychological safety requires avoiding conflict or critical feedback to ensure everyone feels good.
Reality: Psychological safety is about creating an environment where people feel safe to express themselves, even when raising tough issues or engaging in constructive conflict. It's not about avoiding discomfort but encouraging openness and respect in discussions.
2. Psychological safety leads to lower accountability.
Misconception: If people feel safe to make mistakes or voice concerns, they won’t be held accountable for their performance.
Reality: Psychological safety and accountability go hand in hand. High-performing teams balance psychological safety with clear expectations and responsibilities, enabling learning and continuous improvement.
3. Psychological safety is a "soft skill" with little impact on business outcomes.
Misconception: It’s a feel-good concept that doesn’t drive tangible results.
Reality: Psychological safety is linked to measurable outcomes, including innovation, employee engagement, and retention. Research shows it enhances performance by fostering trust, creativity, and collaboration.
4. Psychological safety is only important for “soft” industries or roles.
Misconception: It’s relevant only in sectors like HR or education, not high-pressure environments like finance, healthcare, or tech.
Reality: Psychological safety is crucial in all industries. For example, in healthcare, it can reduce errors and improve patient outcomes; in tech, it drives innovation by encouraging team members to share bold ideas.
5. Psychological safety is a fixed trait of an organization or team.
Misconception: If a team or organization has psychological safety, it will always stay that way.
Reality: Psychological safety requires ongoing effort and intentional practices. It can fluctuate based on leadership behavior, team dynamics, and organizational changes. Leaders and team members must actively maintain it.
Building Psychological Safety: The Pathway to Excellence
The ultimate goal of psychological safety is not just a better experience at work—it’s about enabling greater contributions, effectiveness, and performance.
Here’s how it works:
1. Increased Contributions: When people feel safe, they bring their full selves to work. They’re more likely to share creative ideas, voice concerns, and collaborate meaningfully.
2. Enhanced Effectiveness: Teams with psychological safety communicate more openly, solve problems faster, and adapt to change more effectively.
3. Higher Performance: Psychological safety creates a foundation for accountability and continuous improvement, leading to better outcomes for individuals and organizations alike.
4. Improved Workplace Experience: When people feel psychologically safe, they report higher levels of job satisfaction, engagement, and well-being.
How to Foster Psychological Safety
Creating psychological safety is both an art and a science. Here are some evidence-based strategies:
• Model Vulnerability: Leaders and team members should openly admit their mistakes, ask for help, and share their own learning journeys.
• Encourage Experimentation: Frame failure as a necessary part of growth and celebrate attempts to innovate, even when they don’t succeed.
• Prioritize Respect: Ensure that all voices are heard and valued, especially those from underrepresented or marginalized groups.
• Seek Feedback: Create mechanisms for continuous feedback and make it safe for people to challenge the status quo.
• Practice Inclusive Leadership: Demonstrate curiosity, empathy, and a willingness to learn from others.
The Takeaway
Psychological safety isn’t a luxury or a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic imperative for teams and organizations striving for excellence. It’s not about creating comfort but about enabling courage. It’s not a policy but a practice. And it’s not a trade-off with performance but a pathway to achieving it.
When we build workplaces where people feel safe to take risks, challenge ideas, and embrace discomfort, we unlock their full potential. The result is not only greater innovation, growth, and high performance but also an improved experience of work itself—a place where contributions are valued, trust is earned, and possibilities are endless.
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