Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is the ability to share one’s thoughts and feelings without risk of damaging one’s reputation or standing. At work it refers to employees believing that they can take risks without being shamed by other team members. When people on a team possess psychological safety, they feel able to ask for help, admit mistakes, raise concerns, suggest ideas, and challenge ways of working and the ideas of others on the team, including the ideas of those in authority. Via this honesty and openness, risks are reduced, new ideas are generated, the team is able to execute on those ideas and everyone feels included. Building psychological safety not only improves organisational outcomes, but it’s the right thing to do.

See: Affirmative Action, Brave Spaces and Courageous Communication.