Psychological safety in teams: what it is and how to build it

Psychological safety is the shared sense in a team that it is safe to speak up. People can ask questions, admit mistakes, raise concerns and offer ideas without fear of being embarrassed or punished.

This article explains where the idea comes from, what the research shows and what it does not show, and practical steps leaders and managers can take. It is written for employers, HR teams, managers and boards.

What is psychological safety?

The term is most closely linked with Amy Edmondson, a professor at Harvard Business School. In her 1999 paper, Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams, she defined team psychological safety as “a shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking”.

Interpersonal risks are the small moments where someone could look ignorant, incompetent, negative or disruptive. For example:

• asking a question others might think is obvious
• admitting you made an error
• disagreeing with a manager
• raising a safety concern or a problem with a process
• suggesting a new idea that might not work

In a team with high psychological safety, people take these risks because they expect to be treated with respect. In a team with low psychological safety, people often stay quiet, even when they know something important.

What the research shows

Edmondson’s 1999 study

Edmondson studied 51 work teams in a manufacturing company, using surveys, interviews and observation. She found that team psychological safety was associated with learning behaviour, such as seeking feedback, asking for help and talking about mistakes. Learning behaviour, in turn, helped explain the link between psychological safety and team performance.

The study also found that team leader coaching and contextual support (such as access to information and resources) were related to how teams worked. The paper included a short survey measure of team psychological safety that is still widely adapted.

Earlier work in hospitals

In a 1996 study of hospital units, Edmondson found that units with stronger nurse manager leadership and better working relationships had higher detected rates of medication errors. The likely reason was not that they made more errors, but that staff there were more willing to report them. This finding helped prompt her later work on psychological safety.

Later reviews

A 2014 review by Edmondson and Lei brought together research across individuals, groups and organisations. It found psychological safety was relevant to speaking up, teamwork, team learning and organisational learning.

A fair summary is that psychological safety is strongly linked with learning and speaking up. It is one factor among many in team performance, not a single fix.

What psychological safety is not

The idea is sometimes misunderstood. Psychological safety is not:

• Being nice all the time. It often means people feel able to disagree openly and respectfully.
• Lower standards. Teams can hold high expectations and still make it safe to raise problems. In fact, high standards without safety can lead to hidden mistakes.
• Freedom from consequences. Misconduct, bullying and harassment still need to be dealt with.
• Comfort. Learning and speaking up can still feel uncomfortable. The difference is that people expect a fair response.

Why it matters for Australian workplaces

Psychological safety is not a legal term in Australian work health and safety law. But it connects closely with the psychosocial hazards employers must manage, such as poor support, poor workplace relationships, bullying and poor organisational justice.

It also affects whether hazards come to light at all. WorkSafe Victoria’s compliance code notes that a lack of reported incidents does not mean hazards are absent, and may reflect reluctance to report. Teams where people feel safe to speak up are more likely to raise problems early, when they are easier to fix.

You can read more in our guide to psychosocial hazards at work.

How leaders can build psychological safety

Psychological safety grows from many small, repeated actions. Here are practical steps drawn from the research and from common workplace practice.

Set the scene

• Talk about work as a learning task where problems are expected, especially in complex or changing work.
• Be clear about standards and roles, so people know what good looks like.
• Agree simple team norms, such as “we raise concerns early” and “we critique ideas, not people”.

Invite input

• Ask open questions, like “What are we missing?” or “What worries you about this plan?”
• Admit what you do not know and name your own mistakes.
• Offer more than one way to contribute, such as written input before a meeting, small group discussion or one to one chats. This helps quieter, neurodivergent and newer team members.

Respond well

• Thank people for raising problems, even when the news is unwelcome.
• Focus on what happened and what to change, not on blame.
• Follow through and tell people what changed because they spoke up.
• Address disrespectful behaviour quickly and fairly.

Check how you are going

Short anonymous pulse surveys can ask whether people feel able to raise problems, take risks and ask for help. Look for differences between teams and groups, and discuss the results with staff rather than just reporting a score.

You can also track indirect signs, such as how often near misses, errors and improvement ideas are reported. A rise in reporting can be a healthy sign.

Common traps for leaders

Most leaders want their teams to speak up. Good intentions can still go wrong. Watch for these traps:

• Saying “my door is always open” and waiting. Many people will not walk through that door, especially if they are new, junior or from a group that has been overlooked before. Go and ask.
• Reacting sharply to bad news. A frown, sigh or quick rebuttal can teach a whole team to stay silent. Pause, thank the person and ask a follow up question.
• Asking for feedback and doing nothing. If input disappears, people stop giving it. Even a short “here is what we decided and why” helps.
• Relying on one off events. A single workshop can start a conversation, but day to day habits matter more.
• Ignoring workload. People who are exhausted and rushed have little energy for speaking up or trying new things. Psychological safety and sensible job demands go together.

In hybrid and remote teams, it can be harder to notice who is not contributing. Build in regular one to one time and use chat or shared documents as extra ways to raise issues.

How Invictus Health can help

Our psychologists work with organisations that want to strengthen team culture alongside their psychosocial risk management.

• Leadership coaching and culture training, including building inclusive, diverse and neurodivergent teams.
• Mental Health First Aid training, so managers feel more confident responding when someone is struggling.
• Workplace mediation when conflict has damaged trust within a team and mediation is suitable.

This article is general information. Each workplace is different, so speak with a qualified professional about your situation.