What if I told you that the secret to high-performing teams isn’t hiring the smartest people or having the latest technology? Instead, it’s about something much deeper: psychological safety.
Psychological safety is the confidence that individuals can speak up, take risks, and admit mistakes without the fear of being judged or punished. It’s the foundation of trust, collaboration, and creativity, allowing teams to unleash their full potential.
What Is Psychological Safety?
Think of it like this: when psychological safety is missing, people are hesitant to share bold ideas, ask questions, or admit mistakes because they fear being ridiculed or sidelined. This creates a culture of silence and stagnation.
On the other hand, when psychological safety is present, magic happens. People become more innovative, collaborative, and engaged. It transforms teams from good to great by encouraging open dialogue and risk-taking.
At its core, psychological safety is not about making people comfortable all the time. It’s about creating a space where they feel empowered to be bold, creative, and accountable—while still pushing for excellence.
The Proven Impact of Psychological Safety
Google’s Project Aristotle studied 180 teams, hoping to unlock the formula for high performance. What they discovered was game-changing: the key to success wasn’t the individual IQs or skillsets of team members—it was how the team worked together.
The number one driver of performance was psychological safety. Teams that felt safe to speak up, challenge each other, and take risks outperformed those that didn’t.
The Impact Extends Beyond Innovation: The Growth in Retention
Research show that psychological safety has a direct link to increased retention, particularly for underrepresented groups. When people feel safe to contribute their ideas without fear, they are far less likely to leave their organizations.
In fact, retention rates increase 4x times for women and BIPOC employees, 5x times for employees with disabilities, and 6x for LGBTQ+ employees.
Psychological safety truly levels the playing field, creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.
Psychological Safety and Diversity: A Powerful Combination
Here’s the truth: diversity alone won’t transform your team. Diversity brings different perspectives and ideas, but without psychological safety, those differences can lead to friction and disengagement.
The study in the Harvard Business Review found that while diversity can increase conflict, teams with high psychological safety actually became more satisfied and engaged as diversity increased.
The reason is simple: psychological safety turns diversity into a strength by allowing diverse voices to be heard and valued.
In teams where psychological safety is high, diverse perspectives are embraced, leading to better problem-solving and more innovative solutions. It’s not enough to simply bring people with different backgrounds together.
To truly harness the power of diversity, leaders must create a culture where everyone feels safe to contribute and challenge the status quo.
The Four Stages of Psychological Safety
Dr. Timothy Clark’s book, The Four Stages of Psychological Safety, provides a roadmap for creating an environment where people feel safe and empowered to do their best work. Here’s a breakdown of each stage, with actionable tips for leaders:
Inclusion Safety: People need to feel they belong. Leaders can promote inclusion by ensuring every voice is heard and valued. Regular check-ins with quieter team members can help bring their ideas to the forefront.
Learner Safety: In this stage, it’s about creating an environment where it’s okay to make mistakes. Leaders can foster a growth mindset by sharing their own learning experiences and encouraging experimentation.
Contributor Safety: Here, people need to feel that their contributions matter. Leaders should actively solicit input from all team members and provide constructive feedback.
Challenger Safety: The final stage is about encouraging people to challenge the status quo. Leaders should embrace healthy debate and create space for dissenting opinions to be heard and explored.
Psychological Safety and Accountability: The Perfect Balance
One common misconception is that psychological safety means lowering standards, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Psychological safety and accountability go hand in hand, creating an environment where people feel supported but are still expected to deliver results.
When teams have high psychological safety and high accountability, they operate in what’s called the Learning Zone. This is where people feel safe to take risks, admit mistakes, and push for innovation, all while being held to high standards of performance. It’s the ideal balance where teams thrive, grow, and continuously improve.
However, when accountability is low, even if psychological safety is high, teams slip into what’s known as the Comfort Zone. In this zone, people feel safe, but they aren’t being challenged. Without the pressure to meet expectations or strive for excellence, teams stagnate, and growth falls flat. While it's comfortable, it lacks the drive necessary for innovation and performance.
On the flip side, high accountability without psychological safety leads to the Anxious Zone. In this state, teams are stressed, afraid to take risks, and constantly worried about making mistakes. While expectations are high, the fear of failure looms large, which often results in decreased creativity, engagement, and ultimately, performance.
Lastly, there’s the Apathy Zone, where both psychological safety and accountability are low. In this zone, teams are disengaged, unmotivated, and lack any drive to perform. Without safety, people don’t feel comfortable speaking up or contributing, and without accountability, there’s no push to improve. This is the most damaging zone for a team, as it breeds a culture of indifference, where both performance and morale suffer.
Steps to Build Psychological Safety in Your Team
Building psychological safety requires deliberate actions from leaders. Here are practical steps you can take to foster this environment:
1. Lead by Example: Show Vulnerability
As a leader, model the behavior you want to see. This means being open about your own mistakes, uncertainties, and questions. When leaders show vulnerability, it signals to the team that it’s okay to not have all the answers and to make mistakes in pursuit of growth.
Tip for Leaders: Share personal learning experiences during team meetings. For example, talk about a time you made a mistake and how it led to new insights. This will encourage your team to view setbacks as learning opportunities.
2. Encourage Open Dialogue: Foster a Speak-Up Culture
Create a culture where every voice is heard. Actively invite diverse perspectives and ensure that even the quieter team members have the opportunity to contribute. This helps prevent groupthink and fosters creativity.
Tip for Leaders: During meetings, specifically ask individuals for their input, especially those who tend to hold back. Rotating who leads discussions can also ensure that everyone feels responsible for contributing.
3. Normalize Mistakes: Create a Safe Learning Environment
Innovation comes from experimentation, and that means some things won’t work out as planned. When mistakes happen, focus on the lessons learned rather than assigning blame. This creates an environment where people feel free to take risks without fear of punishment.
Tip for Leaders: When something doesn’t go as planned, debrief as a team and focus on what can be improved next time. Encourage a ‘fail forward’ mentality, where mistakes are seen as part of the growth process.
4. Provide Constructive Feedback: Build Confidence
Feedback is crucial for growth, but how it’s delivered matters. Instead of focusing on what went wrong, frame feedback in a way that highlights what can be improved. Ensure that feedback is given in a supportive manner that builds the individual’s confidence.
Tip for Leaders: Use the “feedforward” approach—focus more on future improvements rather than dwelling on past mistakes. This fosters a mindset of continuous improvement.
5. Promote Inclusive Decision-Making: Value Diverse Perspectives
Involve team members in the decision-making process to ensure diverse perspectives are included. When people feel that their input shapes outcomes, they are more invested and engaged in the team’s success.
Tip for Leaders: In team decisions, make it clear how different perspectives contributed to the final choice. Acknowledge and celebrate diverse viewpoints, even if they aren’t always adopted.
6. Measure and Improve: Use Psychological Safety Tools
Finally, measure psychological safety using tools like the Fearless Organization Scan. This will give you a clear view of where your team stands and what areas need attention. After gathering data, work with your team to co-create strategies for improvement.
Tip for Leaders: Regularly check in on psychological safety as part of your team’s ongoing development. Make it a key element of performance reviews and team debriefs.
Measuring Psychological Safety
Psychological safety is not just a feeling—it’s measurable. Using tools like the Fearless Organization Scan, based on Amy Edmondson’s decades of research on psychological safety , leaders can assess how safe their teams feel to take risks and speak openly.
This simple yet powerful tool provides insight into areas such as willingness to help, openness to risk, and inclusion. As a certified practitioner, I work with teams to interpret these results and develop actionable strategies to enhance psychological safety and performance.
Are you ready to take your team to the next level?
As a practitioner in psychological safety and inclusive leadership, I offer the tools such as fearless organization scan and expertise to create a culture where your team can thrive.
Whether it’s through leadership training, team workshops, or organizational consulting, I can support you in building an environment that fosters both safety and excellence.
Let’s work together to unlock the full potential of your team.
Contact me today, and let's start building a high-performing, fearless organization!
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