When I first heard about psychological safety I was sitting in an online class about innovation. The host of the session introduced us to the topic and my mind was blown! I’ve started digging into the topic and learning more and more about it and my whole perception of teams, companies and the things I experienced in different workplaces completely changed.

Many of the things that I read about psychological safety are common sense to me but I started asking myself: why are organisations not fostering it more? Why did I experience so many situations where psychological safety was treated like the hippie aunt at a conservative family gathering?

So what is psychological safety?

Psychological safety is - as coined by Dr. Amy Edmondson from Harvard University - „a shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking.“

But what exactly does that mean?

Psychological safety enables teams to show up as themselves, learn, experiment, make mistakes, challenge the status quo and contribute, therefore boosting the team’s performance and its ability to innovate and create.

More specifically - when do people know that there is psychological safety in a team? And when not?

Good signs:

• You are invited and encouraged to speak your mind

• People ask for help and admit mistakes

• There is room for emotions and they are accepted by others

• People listen to each other and participate equally

• Managers lead by example

• Conflict is allowed and solved constructively

• Reasons for change are explained

Bad signs:

• People draw up a shield or zone-out

• People interrupt each other all the time

• There is no conversational turn-taking

• Feedback is either not given or mistaken for personal critique

• There is a lack of empathy

• Conflict is avoided or acted out in harmful ways

• There is a lack of transparency

Some of you may now think: „Oh god this is just another new work trend that doesn’t really solve performance issues.“ or „it’s normal that some days at work can be annoying“ or „shall I wrap my colleagues/employees in bubble wrap?“

Wroooooong.

Psychologically safe teams are - statistically proven - 50% more productive, collaborate 57% more and perceive 74% less stress*. Some of the most successful organisations in the world have incorporated psychological safety in their leadership trainings, culture manifestos and mindsets. Google for instance has not only conducted very extensive research in this field, they also made the emotional aspects of teamwork measurable and are training all their managers on fostering psychological safety within their teams.

Psychological safety does not mean that people are not being held accountable. It is actually the other way round. As a psychologically safe environment enables a healthy feedback and conflict culture, holding people accountable gets much easier.

Psychological safety does not mean that everything has to be sugarcoated - friction in decision-making processes is actually very welcome and a healthy sign that people care instead of dozing-off or being avoidant.

It does not mean that all decision-making has to be consensual but giving people voices leads to more collaboration, shared responsibility and better outcomes.

This list could be so much longer but let’s stick to the basics: what can organisations and people do to foster psychological safety?

• Promote self-awareness

• Check in with others on a regular basis

• Make room for questions

• Make room for feedback

• Appreciate and value ideas

• Promote positive language

• Be precise and transparent

• Own mistakes and share your learnings

• Explain reasons for change

The importance of psychological safety in teams is undeniable and slight changes in interactions and communication can already make a big difference for a team’s performance!

But how can you integrate these points in your daily work and company culture?

The answer: with time, a good strategy, a clear execution plan and an expert that facilitates this whole process for you! Psychological safety is nothing that can be implemented within one day or a single team workshop. It has to be modeled by management, lived out on a daily basis and pushed when the road gets bumpy but it is definitely worth it to create a more productive and healthy environment for your team.

I’m coming back to my initial questions: why are organizations not fostering it more? Why are there so many psychologically unsafe situations within teams?

Because people are emotional and sometimes irrational beings and not machines. Financial pressure, crisis or external factors can lead to a lack of focus on psychological safety, interpersonal wall-building and unhealthy communication patterns.

If you want to foster innovation, creativity and performance in your team, psychological safety is the key.

Curious about psychological safety? I am happy to talk to you about it! Just contact me.

*Sources: Gartner Research, The Missing Element in Nearly Every Learning Strategy; Gallup, State of the American Workforce Report; Zak, Paul J., “The Neuroscience of Trust,” Harvard Business Review, January 2017,