Psychological safety is the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. It is a shared expectation held by members of a team that teammates will not embarrass, reject, or punish them for sharing ideas, taking risks, or soliciting feedback. In psychologically safe teams, team members feel accepted and respected, and they can take risks without being shamed by other team members. Psychological safety is a critical concept for teams and the people that lead them, and it is the most studied enabling condition in group dynamics and team learning research.
Psychological safety benefits organizations and teams in many different ways. There are multiple empirically supported consequences of a team being psychologically safe, including:
- Increased creativity and innovation
- Improved learning and performance
- Higher employee engagement and job satisfaction
- Better problem-solving and decision-making
Psychological safety has been an important discussion area in the field of psychology, behavioral management, leadership, teams, and healthcare. Results from a number of empirical studies conducted in various regions and countries show that psychological safety plays an important role in workplace effectiveness. It also enables teams and organizations to learn and perform, and in recent years, it has become a more significant organizational phenomenon due to the increased necessity of learning and innovation.
Leaders can build psychologically safe workplaces by:
- Encouraging open communication and active listening
- Modeling vulnerability and admitting mistakes
- Providing clear expectations and feedback
- Encouraging risk-taking and experimentation
- Creating a culture of trust and respect
In summary, psychological safety is the feeling of being able to speak up, take risks, and make mistakes without fear of negative consequences. It is a critical concept for teams and organizations, and it benefits them in many different ways. Leaders can build psychologically safe workplaces by encouraging open communication, modeling vulnerability, providing clear expectations and feedback, encouraging risk-taking, and creating a culture of trust and respect.
