What is Psychological Safety?
"The belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes, and that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking." - Amy Edmondson
Psychological safety is the foundation of high-performing teams and resilient organizations.
When team members feel safe to ask for help, admit mistakes, raise concerns, suggest ideas, and challenge existing ways of working, even questioning those in authority, it fosters an environment of honesty and openness.
This, in turn, reduces risks, generates innovation, improves execution, and strengthens inclusivity. Beyond improving organizational outcomes, prioritizing psychological safety is simply the right thing to do.
Another definition of psychological safety is “being able to show and employ one’s self without fear of negative consequences of self-image, status or career” (Kahn 1990).
Psychological safety refers to a personal state of mind of being safe in your team and amongst colleagues; it is not about being protected or shielded from bad things happening, or safe from risk.
It’s useful to distinguish between two key types of threat – existential, and interpersonal.
Psychological safety only refers to interpersonal, not existential threats. Existential threats in a business include competition, market disruption, geopolitical events, cashflow imbalances, key personnel leaving the team, and more.
Therefore existential threats are anything that could impact and affect the status or existence of the organisation, the team, or the project. Interpersonal threats by contrast are risks to status, fear of embarrassment, fear of failure, potential disrespect or even deception.
The Consequences of Ignoring Psychological Safety
Imagine a workplace where employees walk on eggshells, afraid to speak up, take risks, or share their thoughts. In such an environment:
Innovation withers
Collaboration suffers
Mistakes are kept hidden
Morale declines
Performance stagnates
Turnover increases
Even diversity, widely regarded as a key contributor to innovation and success, only reaches its full potential when psychological safety is present. Without it, organizations miss out on valuable perspectives and insights.
Real-Life Examples of Psychological Safety Breaches
Based on quoted research we now understand that psychological safety emerges as a property of a group, shaped by its interpersonal climate. When psychological safety is low, individuals hesitate to express themselves, fearing negative consequences.
Here are some behaviors that, when repeated and normalized, lead to a lack of psychological safety in the workplace:
A manager yells at an employee for slow performance
A manager questions an employee’s commitment after they request a raise
A team member rolls their eyes when a colleague asks a question in a meeting
A doctor scolds a nurse for raising a concern about a procedure
A co-pilot voices a concern but is dismissed as inexperienced
A colleague repeatedly talks over others in discussions
These behaviors create a culture of fear and disengagement, ultimately eroding trust, collaboration, and overall organizational success.
The Four Stages of Psychological Safety
According to Amy C. Edmondson: "Psychological safety is not immunity from consequences, nor is it a state of high self-regard. In psychologically safe workplaces, people know they migth fail, the might receive performance feedback that says they're not meeting expectations, and they might lose their jobs due to changes in the industry, environment or even to a lack of competence in their role. These attributes of the modern workplace are unlikely to disapear anytime soon but in psychologically safe workplace, people are not hindered by interpesonal fear."
According to research, psychological safety develops in four key stages:
Inclusion Safety – Feeling accepted and valued for who you are
Learner Safety – Feeling safe to ask questions, make mistakes, and receive feedback
Contributor Safety – Feeling empowered to apply your skills and contribute meaningfully
Challenger Safety – Feeling secure enough to challenge the status quo and suggest improvements
Teams that cultivate these stages experience higher engagement, collaboration, and performance.
Psychological Safety in High-Stakes Environments
In high-risk settings, psychological safety is essential. Consider a mountaineering team attempting to summit K2. The existential threat (harsh weather, avalanches, and exhaustion) is real, but the reason the team can function effectively is their deep trust in one another.
Without psychological safety, knowing that their teammates have their backs, the risk of failure or disaster increases dramatically.
Similarly, during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders like Jacinda Ardern successfully guided their teams and nations by being transparent about challenges while fostering optimism and trust.
Leadership involves ensuring that everyone in the organisation knows exactly what to do in order to face existential threats.
Of course, you could describe all the myriad threats and risks that your team and organisation could face, but unless you put them in context and prioritise them, they’re useless – because a team will be paralysed by indecision.
Not all risks can be mitigated either, so it’s necessary to know which risks require work to mitigate, and which ones the team simply need to be aware of. When a backlog of tasks or projects exists, a team need also to know not only what to work on, but what to work on first.
And of course a team should only ever work on the top priority task – not everything can be “high priority”.
The Link Between Psychological Safety, Diversity, and Inclusion
Psychological safety and inclusion are inseparable. A team is only as psychologically safe as its most marginalized member. If organizations ignore systemic inequities, they fail to create a truly safe environment for everyone.
To ensure psychological safety for all, leaders must:
Recognize structural inequities
Address biases and microaggressions
Validate and respect diverse lived experiences
Create spaces where underrepresented voices feel heard and valued
Diversity improves team performance, but only in psychologically safe environments.
According to an insightful Harvard Business Review article by Henrik Bresman and Amy C. Edmondson, psychological safety is not a one-size-fits-all concept. It is deeply intertwined with privilege and intersectionality, as everyone carries their own psychological "luggage" shaped by past experiences.
Factors such as previous workplaces, upbringing, education, gender, race, sexuality, neurodiversity, socioeconomic background, and language all influence how individuals perceive power dynamics and interact within them. Many people have learned that speaking up at work is not safe, and even in psychologically safe environments, unlearning those lessons can take time.
Additionally, speaking up always involves risk, whether interpersonal, financial, job-related, or reputational, and these stakes are higher for some than others. To foster true psychological safety, organizations must create conditions where everyone, not just the naturally outspoken, feels empowered to contribute.
This is why personal development for leaders and changemakers is essential. Investing in self-awareness and emotional intelligence enables leaders to model the behaviors that cultivate psychological safety, both in the workplace and in life.
Measuring Psychological Safety
Assessing psychological safety requires thoughtful planning. Conducting a survey without taking meaningful action on the results can erode trust rather than build it.
Before measuring psychological safety, ensure leadership is genuinely committed to acting on feedback and fostering a culture of openness and improvement.
Sample Survey Questions
Ask team members to rate their agreement with the following statements on a Likert scale (1 to 5):
I understand what is expected of me on this team.
I feel safe suggesting ideas, even unconventional ones.
Mistakes are seen as learning opportunities rather than being held against me.
When something goes wrong, we focus on systemic solutions rather than blaming individuals.
I feel comfortable bringing up problems and concerns.
No one is excluded or dismissed for being different.
It is safe for me to take intelligent risks.
I can easily ask my team members for help.
My efforts are not deliberately undermined.
My unique skills and talents are recognized and utilized.
Improving psychological safety starts with understanding where your organization stands. If you're considering measuring and enhancing psychological safety in your workplace, contact us to explore a customized approach tailored to your team’s needs.
How to Improve Psychological Safety
What are the Leadership Practices That Foster Safety? There are three core behaviours (thanks to Amy Edmondson for codifying these):
Frame work as a learning problem, not an execution problem. Everything is an experiment. The outcome of work should not exclusively be the output; it must also be learning how to do it better next time
Acknowledge your own fallibility. By admitting when you make a mistake or don’t know the answer, you allow (indeed, encourage) others to do the same
Model curiosity and asking questions. Stay curious, ask other people what they think, and ask them to contribute. By asking questions and asking for help, you’re creating a space and a need for people to speak up, which is essential for psychological safety and for high performing teams.
The Cost of Neglecting Psychological Safety and Transformative Leadership Behaviors
The link between psychological safety and leadership behaviors is profound, as creative & trasformative leadership directly influences whether team members feel safe to express themselves, take risks, and engage in open dialogue.
If, as we said, psychological safety represents an environment where individuals feel comfortable speaking up, admitting mistakes, and sharing ideas without fear of embarrassment or retribution, then the following leadership behaviors are essential in fostering such an environment:
1. Trust and Vulnerability
Leaders who demonstrate vulnerability (e.g., admitting mistakes, asking for feedback) signal to their teams that it is safe to do the same.
Building trust through consistent, ethical, and supportive actions encourages team members to contribute openly.
2. Open Communication and Active Listening
Leaders who listen actively and value diverse perspectives foster an inclusive environment.
Encouraging questions and dissenting opinions helps reduce fear of negative repercussions.
3. Encouraging Learning and Growth
A psychologically safe workplace embraces failure as learning rather than punishment.
Leaders who emphasize growth mindset help teams take calculated risks and innovate.
4. Accountability Without Blame
Leaders must balance accountability with support, holding people to high standards while also providing resources and guidance.
Avoiding a blame culture ensures mistakes are seen as opportunities for improvement.
5. Inclusivity and Respect
Demonstrating inclusive leadership behaviors, such as ensuring all voices are heard and valued, strengthens psychological safety.
Addressing microaggressions and bias actively fosters a respectful workplace.
6. Empowering Others
Leaders who delegate decision-making and trust their team members increase confidence and ownership.
Encouraging autonomy while providing a safety net allows for experimentation and innovation.
Why It Matters
When leaders prioritize psychological safety, organizations see higher engagement, creativity, retention, and performance. Employees are more likely to share new ideas, challenge the status quo, and collaborate effectively, critical factors in navigating change and complexity.
There is no such thing as "too much psychological safety." When employees feel secure in speaking up, they take risks, innovate, and perform at their best. Organizations that prioritize psychological safety not only achieve better business results but also create workplaces where people thrive.
By fostering an environment of trust, learning, and inclusion, leaders empower their teams to navigate even the most challenging situations, and ultimately, drive meaningful and lasting success.
As a leadership coach, I help leaders like you cultivate trust, foster open dialogue, and create environments where people feel safe to contribute, challenge ideas, and grow.
Let’s connect to explore how you can strengthen psychological safety in your organization and unlock your team's full potential!
Hi, I’m Monika, Strengths Coach, facilitator, social-profit organization leader, and photographer. I’m here to help you own your vision for meaningful growth and transformation, uncover your unique leadership strengths, and empower you and your team to thrive and create lasting impact. Passionate about driving change within, around, and beyond, I love supporting fellow change-makers on their journeys.
I hope you’ll visit often, and I look forward to connecting and working together!
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