🧠 4 Themes of Psychological Safety

When employees feel psychologically safe, they’re empowered to experiment—leading to more creative and innovative teams.

Author

Vishal George
December 03, 2024

TL;DR: Four core themes emerge from the research on psychological safety: (1) Getting things done, (2) Fostering learning behaviours, (3) Improving the work experience, and (4) Leaders and leadership.

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You no longer have the option of leading through fear or managing through fear. In an uncertain, interdependent world, it doesn’t work—either as a motivator or as an enabler of high performance.

Amy Edmondson

🎓 Researchers

  • Amy C. Edmondson, Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School

  • Derrick P. Bransby, Researcher at Harvard Business School

Who is this relevant for?
Team Leaders, Entrepreneurs, Change Managers, HR Professionals, Project Managers, Designers, Strategists, and anyone seeking to foster high-performing, innovative, and inclusive teams.

📚 The Evidence

This comprehensive review analysed 185 empirical studies on psychological safety published in peer-reviewed journals. Studies spanned various industries, including healthcare, engineering, and education, and examined individual, team, and organisational dynamics.

The authors systematically collected data from leading databases such as Business Source Complete, PsychINFO, and Web of Science—using quantitative studies, qualitative studies, and multi-method empirical research published in top journals.

Research: Edmondson, A. C., & Bransby, D. P. (2023). Psychological safety comes of age: Observed themes in an established literature. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior.

📊 Key Results

Theme 1. Getting Things Done

  • Psychological safety helps people speak up and share ideas, driving individual and team performance.

  • Teams with strong psychological safety overcome barriers like hierarchy and diversity issues.

  • Companies with high psychological safety adapt better to market and internal pressures.

Theme 2. Fostering Learning Behaviours

  • Safe environments encourage knowledge sharing and learning from mistakes.

  • Psychological safety boosts creativity and innovation by reducing fear of failure.

  • Speaking up becomes easier in psychologically safe spaces, improving collaboration.

Theme 3. Improving the Work Experience

  • Psychological safety fosters authentic behaviour and openness at work.

  • Employees feel less stress and burnout when psychological safety is high.

  • Teams with psychological safety create more inclusive and supportive climates.

Theme 4. Leaders and Leadership

  • Leaders who listen and show transparency build trust and psychological safety.

  • Inclusive and ethical leadership styles foster team creativity and innovation.

  • Power dynamics impact psychological safety, with inclusive approaches working best.

👉🏾 Amy Edmondson’s Evidence-Based Strategy

1️⃣ Encourage Teams to Bond Through Day-to-Day Tasks

In today’s workplace, uncertainty and interdependence are constants. Amy Edmondson notes: "Without an ability to be candid, to ask for help, to share mistakes, we won’t get things done."

This is especially critical for remote and distributed teams, where building trust and camaraderie is more challenging but no less essential.

2️⃣ Normalise Opportunities to Learn from Mistakes

A study of frontline hospitality workers in Turkey revealed that psychological safety improved team performance by encouraging error-based learning.

"Saying, ‘I need help. I’m not sure what to do here,’ is a learning behaviour. It might be awkward, but speaking up in this way often leads to better outcomes," Amy Edmondson explains.

3️⃣ Ensure All People Feel Seen

Edmondson highlights a shift in workplace priorities: "It used to be: How do we get the work done? But nowadays, there’s just as much interest in: How are people doing?"

Inclusion is a cornerstone of psychological safety. Employees perform best when they feel valued and authentically seen.

4️⃣ Seek Input with Humility and Openness

"By asking good questions, you’re saying: I value your voice" Amy Edmondson explains.

Leadership sets the tone for psychological safety. Good leaders show vulnerability and invite participation by asking thoughtful questions.

🧪 Footnote

Evidence evolves over time and will NOT work across all contexts—start with a small experiment to find out what works for your specific challenge and audience. Try our FREE tools to get started with your journey of behavioural innovation.

P.S. Apply now to secure a spot in Q1-2025 for our online masterclass to get personalised support to apply our behavioural science tools.