Psychological safety is not about being comfortable all the time. It’s about feeling safe to speak up, make mistakes, offer new ideas, or challenge norms without fear of embarrassment, punishment, or rejection.
“It’s not the absence of hierarchy that creates safety, but the willingness of those in power to be inclusive and vulnerable.”
– Amy C. Edmondson
How
- Model curiosity. Encourage input by asking open-ended and genuine questions.
- Focus on improvement. React to errors with interest and learning orientation not blame.
- Acknowledge your own fallability. “I might be wrong…”
- Invite participation. Don’t just allow space – encourage it. Directly ask quiet members for thoughts.
- Reinforce respect and inclusion. Call out dismissive behavior and reward inclusive actions.
- Create structures for reflection/feedback. Regular reviews/debriefs to normalize reflection and improvement.
Key Sources
Edmondson, A. C. (2018). The fearless organization: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation, and growth. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.