Cultivating Psychological Safety in the Workplace

What is Psychological Safety?

Imagine working in a place where speaking up feels as risky as juggling knives—blindfolded. That’s what a lack of psychological safety feels like. On the flip side, when psychological safety exists, employees feel free to share ideas, ask questions, and even (gasp!) admit mistakes without fear of career-ending repercussions.

Psychological safety is a concept extensively researched by Harvard professor Amy Edmondson, who found that teams with high psychological safety consistently outperform those with low safety levels. In her seminal study published in 1999, she identified that the most effective teams were not necessarily those with the most experience or skill, but rather those where individuals felt safe to speak up without fear of blame or ridicule.

Building on this, Google’s Project Aristotle, a multi-year study conducted to understand what makes teams effective, reinforced Edmondson’s findings. The study concluded that psychological safety was the single most important factor in team success, even more so than talent, resources, or experience. When employees feel safe to voice their thoughts, ask questions, and admit mistakes, collaboration improves and innovation thrives.

The Four Stages of Psychological Safety

Dr Timothy R. Clark’s research expands on Edmondson’s work, breaking psychological safety into four progressive stages:

1. Inclusion Safety

This is the foundation. Employees need to feel like they belong and aren’t just an afterthought in the company group chat. Inclusion safety means feeling accepted as part of the team without fear of exclusion or bias. Research by Deloitte highlights that workplaces fostering inclusion benefit from a 17% increase in team performance and a 20% increase in decision-making quality. 

2. Learner Safety

Here’s where curiosity thrives. People need to feel safe enough to ask questions without being met with a patronising sigh or an eye roll. Encouraging curiosity, training, and rewarding learning behaviour reinforces this stage. Carol Dweck’s research on the growth mindset aligns with this, showing that organisations that embrace learning and development outperform those with rigid, failure-averse cultures.

3. Contributor Safety

This is when employees start feeling comfortable enough to share their ideas. It’s the workplace equivalent of raising your hand in class without fearing that everyone will groan. Employees need to know their contributions matter and won’t be instantly dismissed. Gallup’s studies on employee engagement have shown that teams with high participation levels see a 21% increase in profitability.

4. Challenger Safety

At this point, employees are confident enough to challenge the status quo without worrying that their next stop is the exit door. Organisations with strong challenger safety encourage constructive criticism and fresh perspectives. Research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) suggests that organisations with high challenger safety tend to adapt faster to change and sustain higher levels of innovation.

Measuring Psychological Safety

How do you know if your workplace is psychologically safe? You could look around and see if people are actually talking in meetings—but here are three more structured ways:

1. Employee Surveys

Regular anonymous surveys can gauge how safe employees feel to voice their opinions. Edmondson’s Psychological Safety Scale is widely used in organisations to measure safety levels. Questions include:

• “It is easy for me to ask other members of this team for help.”
• “No one on this team would deliberately act in a way that undermines my efforts.”
  
  

The Chaos Cultures “SpeakUp Tracker” is also an excellent survey tool.

2. Conducting Regular One-to-Ones

‍Regular one-to-one meetings help managers get an honest look at how safe employees feel to voice concerns or share ideas. The trick? Actually listening and not just nodding while checking emails. Research from the Centre for Creative Leadership suggests that managers who engage in active listening, and personalised feedback, foster higher levels of psychological safety.

3. Assessing Team Performance

‍If meetings are full of awkward silences or the same two people do all the talking, there’s room for improvement. Studies by Google’s People Analytics team have found that psychologically safe teams exhibit frequent, engaged discussions where all members contribute equally.

‍Tips for Building Psychological Safety at Work

‍1. Foster Open Communication

‍Encourage open dialogue and make it clear that “there are no bad ideas”—even when there definitely are. Edmondson’s research indicates that teams with open communication are 50% more likely to avoid major operational errors. Leaders should be transparent, admit mistakes, and welcome input from everyone.

2. Promote Active Listening

‍Nodding along while mentally drafting your lunch order? Not helpful. Active listening means engaging fully, asking follow-up questions, and making employees feel heard. This means making eye contact, paraphrasing responses, and demonstrating genuine interest in employees’ ideas. Neuroscientific research cited in the Harvard Business Review suggests that active listening enhances trust and cooperation.

3. Provide Constructive Feedback

‍Feedback should be specific, actionable, and not sound like it was written by a robot. Employees should leave feedback sessions feeling empowered, not demoralised. Research from the London Business School reveals that feedback framed as constructive, rather than punitive, increases engagement and retention rates. Employees should feel that feedback helps them grow rather than criticising their abilities.

4. Encourage Risk-Taking and Innovation

‍If employees fear mistakes, they’ll never take risks. Studies by McKinsey & Company suggest that organisations that encourage risk-taking see 30% higher levels of innovation. Creating an environment where employees feel safe to experiment, without fear of consequences, drives progress. Reward experimentation and learning, rather than punishing every small misstep. Teams should treat mistakes as opportunities for improvement.

5. Model Inclusive Leadership

‍Leaders set the tone. If they’re approachable, admit mistakes, and invite diverse perspectives, employees will follow suit. If they act like they know everything… well, good luck with that. Diversity and inclusion research from Harvard shows that leaders who actively promote inclusivity drive higher team performance. Encouraging diverse perspectives leads to more creative solutions and better decision-making. Managers should lead by example by showing vulnerability, and addressing unconscious biases within the workplace.

Challenges in Creating a Psychologically Safe Workplace

‍1. Overcoming Existing Cultural Norms

‍In traditionally structured corporate organisations, hierarchical power dynamics can stifle open dialogue. A study cited in MIT Sloan Management Review also found that hierarchical and rigid corporate cultures often hinder psychological safety. Undoing decades of “keep your head down” culture takes long-term commitment and leadership involvement, but it’s necessary for progress.

2. Leadership Involvement and Commitment

‍If leaders don’t walk the talk, psychological safety efforts won’t go far. It needs to be embedded in company values, not just in a PowerPoint slide shown once a year. Research from the Journal of Applied Psychology highlights that organisations where senior leaders prioritise open communication and trust see 40% lower turnover rates. 

3. Managing Diverse Personalities and Backgrounds

‍A meta-analysis from the American Psychological Association suggests that individuals with different personalities and cultural backgrounds experience psychological safety in unique ways. A one-size-fits-all approach won’t work—leaders need to be flexible and adaptable. 

Encouraging a Culture of Continuous Learning and Safety

‍Psychological safety isn’t a box to tick—it’s an ongoing commitment. Workplaces that embrace open communication, active listening, and inclusive leadership create environments where employees thrive.

For those ready to take things further, Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue provides the skills needed to build a culture of trust and open communication. Find out more here.

By prioritising psychological safety and leveraging research-backed strategies, organisations can move beyond theoretical discussions and create workplaces where employees do more than just show up—they feel empowered to speak up, contribute, innovate, and excel.

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