Is psychological safety in danger of becoming just another management buzzword, destined to fizzle into obscurity after a short stint in the spotlight?
Not on our watch.
Psychological safety is the fundamental foundation of thriving workplaces, empowering inclusion, collaboration, and innovation.
But several misconceptions about psychological safety at work are diluting the true meaning of the term and diminishing its impact.
Below, we debunk common myths about psychological safety at work and reaffirm its true meaning.
What is psychological safety?
Psychological safety is not a new concept, but it’s certainly risen to new prominence in the modern workplace.
The term is rooted in both psychology and organisational studies, recognised for its crucial role in unlocking optimal team performance.
Early pioneers
Psychological safety began with Kurt Lewin's pioneering work in the mid-20th century. His research into leadership styles and group behaviour highlighted the vital role of safe social environments in business performance.
But it wasn't until the 1990s that psychological safety really gained prominence, thanks to William Khan's research into personal engagement at work. Khan's work emphasised the need for people to be able to fully engage in the workplace without fear of damaging one's self-image, status, or career.
Amy Edmondson
The real catalyst for bringing psychological safety to the forefront of organisational culture, though, was Amy Edmondson. A professor at Harvard Business School, Edmondson described psychological safety as "a shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking."
Her findings emphasised that such an environment fosters a culture of candid feedback, openness to admitting mistakes, and a willingness to experiment. These are all vital cornerstones for organisational learning and development.
Today, the need for psychological safety at work is recognised globally. It's considered a key component of employee wellbeing, and a strategic lever for enhanced engagement and performance.
But there's still some way to go. Embedding psychological safety in complex, ever-evolving workplaces requires a nuanced and adaptable approach.
Psychological safety should never be a one-size-fits-all solution, but rather a dynamic element of workplace culture.
Common misconceptions about psychological safety
Misconception: Psychological safety = trust
Reality: Psychological safety starts with trust, but is not solely dependent on it.
Trust is undoubtedly the bedrock upon which psychological safety is built, but trust alone is not enough. Interactions in large and complex organisations are often transactional, gradually eroding meaningful connections.
Establishing genuine, caring relationships is essential to psychological safety at work, given that 84% of organisational trust originates from care (Paul J. Zak - Trust Factor).
Leaders must prioritise building empathetic relationships that foster secure environments for giving feedback and sharing ideas. Without this strong foundation of trust and care, psychological safety won't take root.
This is not just about employees, either. Leadership also need psychological safety to be able to listen effectively without feeling threatened. Their reactions to challenging feedback set the tone for an open and honest workplace culture.
Misconception: Psychological safety = feeling able to speak up in all situations.
Reality: Psychological safety is most relevant in trusted, familiar environments.
In conversation with the Chief People Officer of a large organisation, I discovered the common misconception that people should feel safe to express opinions openly in every situation.
The CPO told me that, during "Ask Me Anything" sessions with the CEO, non-anonymous channels surfaced far lower-quality questions than anonymous channels did. This is no surprise; it reflects the natural caution people exercise in unfamiliar environments or when speaking to influential figures.
Interpreting psychological safety solely as a willingness to take public risks overlooks how personal risk appetites vary.
True psychological safety involves creating environments where diverse perspectives are shared comfortably, irrespective of individual characters. The right tooling and processes accommodate these dynamics and create a speak-up culture.
Misconception: Psychological safety is linear
Reality: Psychological safety is dynamic and continually changing
Despite the linear nature of some models, psychological safety is actually influenced by a lot of factors. These include leadership changes, external pressures, team dynamics, and personal experiences.
Relying on “the way we do things around here,” simply won’t deliver when it comes to safety at work; because the ‘we’ and the ‘here’ are continually changing as teams evolve.
Viewing psychological safety as a straightforward path is misleading; to be embedded in workplace culture, it requires constant evaluation and iteration.
Why is psychological safety so important?
Discussions around psychological safety often highlight extreme cases, like aviation or medical fields where lives are directly at stake. Most of us, though, operate in environments where the stakes are not life and death, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t significant implications for business health and personal wellbeing.
In the typical workplace, psychological safety is critical in fostering motivation and innovation and driving business performance.
For instance, an employee might hesitate to suggest a new idea during a meeting for fear of ridicule or dismissal. While this situation isn’t life threatening, the cumulative effect of such silencing will stifle innovation and undermine feelings of belonging and significance.
Psychological safety allows for the exploration of new ideas without fear of failure, enhancing collaboration. Employees who feel psychologically safe are more likely to share insights that prevent costly mistakes or propose innovative solutions that drive the business forward.
So, psychological safety is vital across all sectors and job descriptions. It’s instrumental in creating thriving workplaces where every voice can contribute to continuous improvement and business outcomes.
How to establish psychological safety at work
Create the right conditions
It’s hopefully clear by now that psychological safety is far more than just a buzzword; it’s critical to a healthy, high-performing culture.
But as we’ve explored, significant misconceptions are damaging the effectiveness of psychological safety in our workplaces.
Psychological safety:
- Requires a continuous effort to build empathetic and caring relationships.
- Means creating spaces where people feel safe to share their thoughts and ideas in familiar and non-threatening environments – not just any setting.
- Requires ongoing evaluation and iteration to adapt to changes in the working environment and team dynamics.
Implement effective tooling
Appropriate tooling is essential in taking psychological safety from concept to reality.
Tools that offer anonymity and allow for asynchronous communication, like Harkn, empower employees to engage in sensemaking and problem-solving without fear of embarrassment or repercussions.
These tools should not be seen as ‘nuclear’ options, but valuable daily resources for facilitating dialogue and understanding in a controlled and respectful manner.
How Harkn makes psychological safety a reality
Ever since we first created Harkn, psychological safety has been our top priority. As our platform has evolved, our commitment to anonymous employee voice has remained constant.
Many employee surveys keep feedback anonymous, but that safety is limited to the duration of a survey cycle. Topics can’t be explored further without face-to-face meetings, and there is no channel for employees to raise concerns or ideas outside of the survey.
For psychological safety to be embedded in workplace culture, you need tooling that gives employees always-on, always-live channels for anonymous feedback.
Here’s how we champion equal voice and create trusting environments where inclusion and innovation thrive:
- Anonymous feedback: Everything inputted into Harkn is completely anonymous, unless the employee chooses to attach their name. No names, no avatars, no personal identifiers at all. This includes Daily Check-In data, comments shared to The Wall, and discussions in Team Rooms.
- Wellbeing support: Reluctance to speak up about personal struggles remains one of the biggest barriers to effective wellbeing support in our workplaces. Harkn’s end-to-end wellbeing capabilities maintain anonymity right through to private messaging. Our powerful algorithms flag signs of distress in individuals, so wellbeing professionals can reach out and signpost to further resources without knowing who they are.
- Reporting: Rule of 5: Harkn’s data analysis and reporting tools are carefully designed to preserve anonymity. Reports must include at least five separate data points – including comments on The Wall – so that feedback cannot be isolated and compromise anonymity.
- Restricted demographics: Employer-chosen demographics can’t be fine-tuned or combined to create smaller sub-groups. This keeps aggregate data broad to protect individual identities.
Organisations using Harkn not only foster more inclusive workplaces where everyone has an equal voice, but also empower collaboration, sensemaking, and innovation at scale.
Psychological safety: Not just a buzzword
From its historical roots to its application in modern businesses, psychological safety is foundational for fostering an environment where employees feel genuinely valued and empowered to contribute.
Neglecting psychological safety has profound implications: a lack of belonging, reduced innovation, and the marginalisation of key voices. Conversely, investing in psychological safety unlocks the potential of your workforce, fostering a resilient, agile, and inclusive organisation.
Let’s not allow psychological safety to become diluted into meaninglessness. Instead, leaders must champion it as the cornerstone of a vibrant and successful workplace built on open communication and trust.
