Psychological safety in the workplace

Psychological safety isn’t a tick-box practice. You don’t get to a point where you become a psychologically safe team, and everything’s ok. 

I’ve done a lot of work to understand the concept of psychological safety and I draw inspiration from Amy Edmondson’s work around effective and psychologically safe teams. Amy studies how creating psychological safety for employees leads to greater productivity and efficiency across organisations.

Using my understanding of Amy’s work, I look at how leaders can create psychologically safe teams in this article.

Psychological safety in teams

In many ways, psychological safety is a simple concept. It’s about creating an environment where everybody within the team feels comfortable to be themselves and express themselves. Obviously, that comes with the caveat of — within reason. People must take responsibility for their actions — they can’t expect to do whatever they want without reasonable consequences.

In a psychologically safe team, the idea is that people are less focused on self-protection, or are worried they’ll be criticised, humiliated or embarrassed. They’re focused on being as productive, effective, and collaborative as possible to get the most from the team.

It’s important that psychologically safety is a collective belief. The team appreciates what each member brings and values and respects each other. A psychological safe team can support each other and collectively know that others will respond respectfully if they speak up, ask questions or share a mistake.

Psychological safety is important for individual wellbeing and team productivity and effectiveness. So, how do we create psychological safety?

Leaders first

A key element is that leaders must go first. Team leaders must model positive responses to events or behaviours. Leaders who make themself available and accessible invite more open dialogue for employees to be heard.

Leaders who explicitly ask for team input from their team members are likely to build psychological safety by creating an open, honest environment. An environment where speaking up is desired and expected.

Leaders who model openness and availability and can admit when they’ve made mistakes or been challenged create an environment where it’s ok to be vulnerable without judgement.

Open communication

Create a space where everyone talks regularly and clearly, helping staff stay in the loop about changes, what’s expected of them and comfortable to speak out.

Clearly define roles

Ensure everyone knows their job and what’s needed so there’s no overlap or conflict.

Provide support

Train supervisors to give the support and resources needed so workers feel appreciated.

 Build positive relationships

Encourage respectful and professional interactions to create a supportive team atmosphere.

 Give regular feedback

Set up a system to recognise and reward efforts regularly.

Psychological safety as the default workplace culture

Creating a psychologically safe team is a continuing practice.

When you create a psychologically safe environment as part of workplace culture, that framework naturally supports everyone when the team encounters highly charged, intense challenges. It also isn’t about the individual. The whole organisation thrives when employees feel a sense of safety, belonging and inclusiveness, enabling them to give their best. 

The ‘ Just like me ‘ concept is a good concept to help create a psychologically safe culture.

It encourages individuals to reflect and think:

‘My team member/manager/employee wants to feel respected, appreciated and perceived as being competent, just like me’.

So even when there are differences or conflicting views and opinions, the realisation that peers are ‘just like me’ allows trust and respect to grow between individuals and strengthens that psychological safety within a team

Recapping psychological safety concepts

Psychological safety allows individuals to bring their best to the team and organisation.

1. Psychological safety in the workplace is about creating a culture where everyone in the team feels comfortable to be themselves and express themselves.

2. Leaders must go first in creating psychological safety by modelling behaviour that encourages open dialogue, asking for team input and admitting mistakes.

3. Interpersonal trust and respect between team members are vital for creating psychological safety.

4. Psychological safety allows for help-seeking, seeking feedback, and commenting on others’ actions in a collaborative and growth-oriented manner.

5. Psychological safety isn’t about individuals — it’s about creating an environment that enables the team to be as productive and effective as possible.

6. There are boundaries and accountability in a psychologically safe environment. Individuals are held accountable for their work responsibilities but not personally responsible for mistakes.

7. Psychological safety is a continuous practice — not a one-time accomplishment. It requires ongoing effort to create a safe team environment.

 8. Team members actively contribute to creating psychological safety.

Like to learn more about my work? Follow me on LinkedIn and Instagram.