- 22 January 2025
- Posted by: Ellice Whyte
- Categories: Leadership, Workplace

Creating Psychologically Safe Workplaces: Insights and Practical Steps
- 29 January 2025
- Posted by: Ellice Whyte
- Categories: Leadership, Workplace
In today’s fast-paced work environment, fostering a culture where employees feel safe to share ideas, admit mistakes, and take risks is essential. This concept, known as psychological safety, has been championed by Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmondson. Her research shows that psychologically safe teams are more innovative, engaged, and productive.
This blog explores Edmondson’s insights and offers practical ways to build psychological safety in your workplace, along with a real-world example to bring these ideas to life.
What is Psychological Safety?
Psychological safety is a shared belief that a team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. In practice, it means employees feel comfortable expressing themselves without fear of judgement, retribution, or embarrassment.
Teams with high psychological safety foster creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration by encouraging diverse perspectives and open dialogue.
Edmondson’s Four Stages of Psychological Safety
Edmondson outlines four key stages to create psychological safety:
- Inclusion Safety: Ensuring everyone feels accepted and valued.
- Learner Safety: Encouraging questions, curiosity, and learning from mistakes.
- Contributor Safety: Empowering employees to share ideas and take initiative.
- Challenger Safety: Enabling individuals to question the status quo without fear.
A Case Study in Action
I recently participated in a global learning session where psychological safety was modelled exceptionally well.
The facilitator ensured:
- Inclusion Safety by offering multiple ways to contribute, from anonymous tools like Mentimeter to group discussions, making everyone feel valued.
- Learner Safety through a “contracting” exercise where we agreed on respect, confidentiality, and how to challenge ideas constructively.
During a discussion on neurodiversity, Challenger Safety was put to the test. When potentially prejudiced comments arose, the facilitator addressed the situation masterfully. They prefaced their response by saying, “I want to highlight something you’ve said, but I want to be clear that I am challenging the idea, not the person.” This approach created space for a thoughtful and respectful conversation, allowing everyone to learn from differing perspectives without fear of judgement.
This experience showed how addressing challenging topics with respect and care can turn tense moments into opportunities for growth.
Practical Steps to Foster Psychological Safety
Here’s how you can bring psychological safety to your workplace:
- Model Openness: Leaders should admit mistakes and welcome feedback.
- Encourage Diverse Perspectives: Create an environment where all voices are valued.
- Challenge Ideas, Not People: When disagreements arise, focus on the idea rather than the individual, and make this distinction clear when providing feedback.
- Provide Clear Expectations: Set norms around respect and communication, similar to the contracting exercise mentioned earlier.
- Recognise Contributions: Celebrate those who share ideas, even if they challenge existing practices.
Psychological safety is the foundation of a thriving, innovative workplace. By embracing these principles, leaders can foster trust, unlock team potential, and create an environment where everyone feels valued.
Want to build a more inclusive, psychologically safe workplace? Contact us to learn about our leadership development programmes and tools designed to enhance workplace culture.