Psychological safety is the shared belief that it’s safe to speak up to ask questions, admit mistakes, disagree, or try something new without fear of embarrassment, punishment, or rejection.
It’s not about being “nice” or avoiding conflict. It’s about trust plus accountability.
What it looks like in practice
In a psychologically safe environment, people feel free to:
- Say “I don’t know” or “I made a mistake”
- Ask questions that might sound basic
- Offer dissenting or unpopular views
- Give and receive honest feedback
- Take interpersonal risks (new ideas, experiments)
What it’s not
Psychological safety is not:
- Comfort at all costs
- Lower standards or lack of discipline
- Everyone agreeing all the time
- Therapy at work
High psychological safety can (and should) coexist with high expectations.
Why it matters
Research shows that psychological safety:
- Improves learning and adaptability
- Increases innovation and creativity
- Reduces fear-based silence
- Improves team performance and decision quality
- Allows errors to surface early (before they become disasters)
Ironically, teams with high psychological safety often report more errors because people actually admit them.
Key components
Psychological safety is built from:
- Respect= people aren’t humiliated or dismissed
- Trust= intentions are assumed to be good
- Permission= speaking up is explicitly encouraged
- Fair response to mistakes= learning, not blaming
- Leader modeling= leaders admit uncertainty and errors first
Simple test
Ask yourself:
If I challenge the status quo or admit a mistake here, what happens to me socially?
That answer tells you how much psychological safety exists.
Shervan K Shahhian
LIBERTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 