Psychological safety, the foundation for trust, learning and effective collaboration
Psychological safety is not just an ideal. It’s a measurable performance driver that shapes communication quality, engagement and innovation outcomes. It is the shared belief that it’s safe to take interpersonal risks, express ideas and admit mistakes without fear of negative consequences. This enables teams and organisations to be honest with each other, which is crucial for shared learning and open communication.
What is
psychological safety?
Psychological safety refers to an environment where team members feel safe to speak up, share ideas and take risks without fear of judgment or reprisal. It represents how people interact, showing more than just individual personalities. It is the foundation for learning, innovation and resilient collaboration. Psychological safety is critical for fostering trust, encouraging open dialogue and turning diverse perspectives into actionable insights and stronger team performance.
Transparency
Promotes open communication and idea sharing.
Our assessments
Encourage learning from mistakes and experimentation.
Our programs
Enhance collaboration and reduce interpersonal conflict.
Inclusive Well-Being
Supports inclusion, engagement, and individual and team well-being
Theoretical foundation
The concept of psychological safety is grounded in decades of organisational and social psychology research spanning learning, motivation and group behaviour.
Psychological Safety in Athletic Team Environments
Kelsie Saxe
(2022)
Key finding
Psychological safety in sports teams increases learning, performance, and well-being, with trust and respect.
Impact
Psychological safety in sports teams increases learning, performance, and well-being, with trust and respect.
Creating Psychological Safety for Improved Performance
Timothy R. Clark
(2025)
Key finding
Psychological safety enhances performance in diverse teams, making them more likely to succeed in innovation.
Impact
Psychological safety enhances performance in diverse teams, making them more likely to succeed in innovation.
Gallup Research
Gallup
(2023)
Key finding
Improving employees' perception that their opinions matter can lead to a 27% reduction in turnover, a 40% decrease in safety incidents, and a 12% increase in productivity.
Impact
Improving employees' perception that their opinions matter can lead to a 27% reduction in turnover, a 40% decrease in safety incidents, and a 12% increase in productivity.
Investigating Its Impact on Team Learning, Team Efficacy, and Productivity
Rajeshwari Patil
(2023)
Key finding
Psychological safety significantly impacts team dynamics, including learning, efficacy, and productivity.
Impact
Psychological safety significantly impacts team dynamics, including learning, efficacy, and productivity.
How Psychological Safety Affects Team Performance
Sehoon Kim
(2020)
Key finding
Psychological safety influences team performance through mechanisms like learning behaviour and team efficacy.
Impact
Psychological safety influences team performance through mechanisms like learning behaviour and team efficacy.
Psychological Safety: A Meta‐Analytic Review and Extension
Frazier et al.
(2017)
Key finding
Psychological safety is positively correlated with both task performance and organisational citizenship behaviours.
Impact
Psychological safety is positively correlated with both task performance and organisational citizenship behaviours.
Project Aristotle
Google
(2012–2014)
Key finding
Among 180 teams studied, psychological safety was the most significant factor contributing to team success. Teams with high psychological safety were more effective, innovative, and resilient.
Impact
Among 180 teams studied, psychological safety was the most significant factor contributing to team success. Teams with high psychological safety were more effective, innovative, and resilient.
Psychological Safety and Learning Behaviour in Work Teams
Amy Edmondson
(1999)
Key finding
Teams with high psychological safety are more likely to engage in learning behaviours, such as asking questions, seeking feedback, and admitting mistakes.
Impact
Teams with high psychological safety are more likely to engage in learning behaviours, such as asking questions, seeking feedback, and admitting mistakes.
Psychological safety is an empirically supported construct that strengthens innovation, resilience and learning. It is validated through science and practice.
How psychological safety drives performance in organisations
Psychological safety turns ideas into real results. It helps leaders build an environment where people feel comfortable speaking up, working together and adapting under pressure. It turns positive and encouraging behaviours into measurable performance.
How it applies in practice
- Leaders foster open feedback that accelerates learning and innovation.
- Teams handle conflict constructively and make faster, better decisions.
- Organisations align communication and trust across all levels,
- Mistakes become learning opportunities, driving continuous improvement,
Psychological safety is not a soft skill. It’s a behavioural foundation that converts insight into measurable and consistent performance outcomes.
Teams that fear speaking up don’t avoid problems. They just postpone them.
When organisations neglect psychological safety, they build invisible barriers that hinder progress. People stop sharing, learning slows down and collaboration remains at the surface-level.
Pain points in a team that lacks psychological safety
- Fear of failure silences critical feedback and improvement.
- Groupthink replaces debate and critical insights are left unspoken.
- Mistakes are repeated because no one feels safe to discuss them.
- Innovation declines as teams chose optimisation and safety over originality and innovation.
- Employees exit silently, increasing turnover and disengagement.
- Leaders lose sight of early warning signals for organisational risks.
Human Insight’s perspective
Psychological safety is a core scientific principle across the Human Insight's tools and frameworks. We see organisations as continuously evolving, complex and adaptive systems where trust and openness enable learning, collaboration and resilient performance. Not through compliance, but through environments where people feel safe to speak up, take risks and share their perspectives.
Trusted by individuals, teams and organisations worldwide
Our evidence-based behavioural frameworks turn complex human data into actionable insights that align people, teams and strategy, enabling clearer decisions and driving sustainable organisational performance.
Research Foundation
- Evidence-based frameworks linking behavioural insights to business performance
- Regularly referenced in academic and management literature.
- Proven impact on alignment, adaptability, and sustainable growth
25+
years of data-driven research and validation
80.000+
individuals supported around the world
1.200+
organisational applications worldwide
100%
evidence-based and data-driven approach
Ready to strengthen psychological safety in your organisation?
Contact us to learn more about what we do and how we can help your organisation.