She lasted about three months. The whispers following her departure were that she was “a bit of a maverick” and “not a team player.” The rest of us shook our heads sadly, knuckled down to it, and said nothing. Because we couldn’t. It wouldn’t have been tolerated. We’d have been out before the revolving door had stopped spinning from our former colleague’s departure.

Psychological Safety: the Basics

As described by Harvard professor Amy Edmondson, psychological safety is a shared belief held by members of a team that it's OK to take risks, express ideas, voice doubts, ask questions, and admit mistakes. A psychologically safe team culture allows all these things without fear of negative consequences.

That’s quite a big deal, and in fact quite a big ask of any organizational culture. Many managers will balk at the idea of allowing their people to take risks and make mistakes. They’re the ones who misunderstand psychological safety. It’s not about encouraging people to fail: it’s about giving them the freedom not to be afraid to fail.

Why Psychological Safety Matters

The benefits of psychological safety are clear. Across industries, organizations are faced by a constantly, rapidly evolving set of challenges. They need creativity, knowledge and innovation more than ever before. They need to build cultures in which people willingly collaborate with others to create new value. These things can’t happen without a sense of psychological safety. In an innovative culture, people have to be able to take risks and admit the possibility of failure.

Without psychological safety, fear holds greater sway over a work culture. Fear turns attention inward: someone who’s afraid only thinks about what they are doing right or wrong. So teamwork becomes harder as people withdraw from group activity.

If that sounds like a description of an unusually toxic workplace, it’s worth bearing in mind how many people work in environments with little or no psychological safety. In a 2017 survey, Gallup found that only three in ten of the workers surveyed felt that their views counted for anything.

How to Create Psychological Safety

So, what can managers and leaders do to create psychological safety in their teams?

First, connect your people to the purpose of their work: why does it matter? What good things will it achieve?

Then “frame the work.” Explain why openness and honesty are integral to the success of your team and organization. If you're designing or improving a new product, for example, explain that risk and failure can play a part in the process.

Explicitly invite people to take part. Ask your people what they think, and do so often. Openness forged through active participation is a prerequisite for psychological safety.

If an idea doesn’t work, respond productively. Stay calm, be fair and honest, but also professional. Be truthful but encourage people to continue sharing ideas.

Building Great Behaviors

You’ll need to set clear standards for behavior. Psychological safety can’t flourish unless everyone feels that their opinion can be heard, so make sure that everyone knows they have a responsibility to encourage discussion, not shut it down.

As a manager or leader, role model the behavior you want to see. Try new things, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and show your vulnerability. And call out inappropriate behavior. If someone undermines your team’s psychological safety (by constant aggressive criticism, for example), challenge them straight away.

Curiosity is a key feature of psychological safety, so encourage it. If things go wrong, describe the problem objectively, explore the issue with your team, and involve them in solving it.

Finally, encourage compassion. Show empathy and kindness to others. This promotes feelings of safety and wellbeing. Simply asking someone how they’re doing or how you can help them can have a major positive effect.

Meanwhile, in the Real World

I started this piece with an anecdote about my former organization. It was a bad story about what could be a pretty bad place to work. But a while after the editor I mentioned left, so did the CEO. And the new guy came with a new attitude.

Sure, management was still top-down and “do-as-I-say," but he brought a new openness and a willingness to talk about difficult issues. People were incentivized to try different approaches. We began to talk about purpose, not just turnover. Things got better.

So I’ve seen an organization in the process of being transformed by a commitment to psychological safety. It’s bracing, and even fun. And the benefits can be huge.

What's Next?

As a leader, you can make a big contribution to developing psychological safety in your team. At the very least, you can behave as a great role model, demonstrating your authentic leadership as you take the lead on promoting change.

And you might want to consider developing a team charter, placing the principles of psychological safety at the heart of your team’s practice.

Tip of the Week

Find Your Unique Selling Proposition

By Melanie Bell, Mind Tools Content Editor

What does your organization offer that others don’t? If you’re in a decision-making position, you may also be in a position to identify your organization’s competitive edge – the unique thing that only you can do. And you can identify that uniqueness for yourself, too.

It’s called your USP, or unique selling proposition. And if you don’t have one, you’ll struggle to stand out in a crowded market. So, how do you find out what it is?

You follow these three steps:

1. Brainstorm what customers value in your industry.

2. Rate yourself and your competitors according to each of these things.

3. Identify where you rank highly. Then make that into a clear statement – that's your USP!

For more detail, and a case study on how to find and use your USP, see our article 4 Steps to Find Your Unique Selling Proposition.

Pain Points Podcast

How are your presentation skills? Can you keep an audience engaged or do your nerves get the better of you? Can you clearly communicate your points or does the audience leave confused?

Find out more about how to hone your public communication skills in the second of our two-part podcast discussion on improving your presentation skills.

Don't miss the latest episode of our “Pain Points” podcast!

Subscribe today

News Roundup

This Week's Global Workplace Insights

Work + Travel = Working Vacation

If you love travel, but have limited vacation time, you might consider taking a trip and continuing to work from a new location. Fast Company offers some best practices for doing just that.

A 2023 survey from Korn Ferry found that 45 percent of workers took a “workcation” during the previous year. And Fast Company reporter Jared Lindzon enjoyed the opportunity to catch some sunshine in winter, without sacrificing holiday time.

If your work can be done remotely for at least one or two weeks, that probably means that you, too, could pull of a workcation. To make the most of it, travel during a less busy period for your company, and avoid packing in too much sightseeing. A relaxed pace in an inspiring destination works best.

A change isn’t the same as a rest, but when well planned, working vacations can offer a refreshing or exciting change of location.

More Work, Same Pay: The Rise of "Dry Promotion"

In this time of economic cutbacks, News18 reports that some companies are trying to motivate employees by offering “dry promotions.” Valued workers are getting a title boost, with the responsibilities to go along with it. But they aren’t getting anything extra when it comes to salary.

This practice is on the rise, with 13 percent of employees recently being given new titles with no salary increase, compared to 8 percent in 2018.

One reason is that staff reductions and layoffs lead to fewer people doing more work. Sometimes these changes are reflected in a new title, and sometimes they aren’t.

Regardless of reasons or intentions, this trend can be frustrating for employees who want their value to be recognized in their earnings.

See you next week for more member-exclusive content and insight from the Mind Tools team!