Culture Corner #1: Psychological Safety: The Hidden Metric That Predicts Team Success

Where fear goes to die, and innovation comes alive

What is psychological safety?

Psychological safety exists when people feel they can speak up, share ideas, and make mistakes without fear of punishment or ridicule.

Amy Edmondson, who coined the term, describes it as "a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes."

It's the difference between a team member thinking "I'd better keep this thought to myself" and "Let me share this half-formed idea—it might help."

Dave's terrible joke broke the ice before his even worse idea saved the project

Why it matters more than you think

Google spent millions on their Project Aristotle research to discover what makes exceptional teams. Their conclusion? Psychological safety topped the list—not experience, not skills, not even team composition.

Teams with high psychological safety:

• Admit mistakes quickly

• Learn faster

• Try more approaches

• Share information openly

• Challenge assumptions respectfully

Without it, your brilliant strategy stays stuck in people's heads. Your investment in talent goes to waste. Your diversity becomes window dressing rather than the competitive advantage it should be.

The problem with unsafe spaces

In unsafe environments, people put their energy into self-protection rather than collective problem-solving.

Imagine your team sitting around a table discussing a project challenge. Someone has a different approach but stays quiet because the last person who disagreed with the boss was subtly sidelined. That unspoken idea might have saved weeks of work.

Or worse—a team member notices a potential flaw but decides "it's not my job" to point it out. Six months later, that flaw becomes a crisis.

This happens daily in workplaces across the world. The cost? Incalculable.

Building psychological safety: practical steps

Safety doesn't appear by magic or through grand announcements. It grows through consistent small actions:

1. Model vulnerability yourself

   Share your own mistakes and what you learned. When the boss can say "I got that wrong," everyone breathes easier.

2. Respond well to bad news

   Your first response sets the tone. When someone brings problems, thank them first, then work on solutions. The messenger shouldn't fear getting shot (even if they were also the cause).

3. Frame work as learning

   Emphasise that you expect mistakes as part of growth. "We're figuring this out together" is far better than "Don't mess this up."

4. Ask genuine questions

   "What am I missing here?" creates space for others to contribute. "What do you think?" must be asked like you truly want the answer. Follow up with clarifying questions so you really understand.

5. Structure for safety

   Establish clear turns for speaking in meetings. Create anonymous feedback channels. Rotate who leads discussions.

Measuring what matters

How do you know if you're making progress? Look for these signs:

• Questions come from all levels

• People disagree openly with ideas (but not attacking people)

• Junior team members speak up around seniors

• Mistakes get reported quickly

• Different perspectives get aired before decisions

Or simply ask: "How confident are you that you won't be punished or ridiculed for bringing up problems or ideas?"

Small steps, big gains

You needn't transform everything overnight. Start small:

At your next meeting, try saying: "Before we decide, I'd like to hear any concerns. I might be missing something important." Then wait. Really wait. No, really. Let the silence get uncomfortable enough for someone to speak up.

When someone makes a mistake, respond with curiosity: "Help me understand what happened" rather than "How could you let this happen?"

Create a five-minute start to team meetings where anyone can raise issues without judgment.

Beyond the buzzword

Psychological safety isn't about being a nice guy or lowering your standards. It's about creating conditions where truth can surface without you digging for it and excellence can flourish - the only way this will happen is through repeated hard work to make sure people feel safe.

The teams that feel safe enough to speak up are the ones that spot problems early, adapt quickly, find creative solutions together and, ultimately, build better organisations.

And while better business results will follow, the real win is more human: people bringing their full selves to work, growing through challenges rather than being diminished by them.

That's a culture worth building, one conversation at a time.