You’ve probably heard it by now: psychological safety matters. The term, “team psychological safety” was introduced by Amy Edmondson, PhD., in her article Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams, where she defined it as “a shared belief held by members of a team, that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking.” In other words, it’s a belief that a team member will not be shut down, punished or humiliated for speaking up their ideas, questions, concerns, or for admitting mistakes. This topic continues to be researched and front and center of many articles, with the most recent ones focusing on psychological safety in hybrid and post-pandemic workplaces. When present, team psychological safety strengthens communication, decision-making, and performance. When absent, it often results in silence, “meetings after the meeting,” or total reliance on the supervisor to solve every problem.
The challenge is moving beyond the buzzword and into concrete practices. Psychological safety is not about keeping everyone comfortable. It’s about creating an environment where productive risks are possible, and there are things that you, as a manager, can do every day to help foster psychological safety.
Build Safety Through Daily Norms
The good news: you don’t need a big initiative to foster psychological safety. Start by embedding norms into everyday work. For example:
Balance the conversation. Invite quieter team members to weigh in: “We haven’t heard from you yet, what’s your take?”
Address derailers promptly. If someone dominates or shuts others down, step in and reset the tone. Teams watch what gets tolerated.
Promote a web, not a hub communication pattern. Encourage team members to consult each other directly, not just funnel everything through you.
Practice reflective listening. Give undivided attention, show understanding, and check back what you’ve heard.
These are the “small wins” that add up – concrete, observable behaviors that shift communication patterns over time.
Psychological safety isn’t something you declare; it’s something you practice. It shows up in the way norms are explained, enforced, and modeled every day. By diagnosing symptoms, reinforcing small behaviors, and modeling the right mindset, supervisors can move beyond the buzzword and make psychological safety a lived reality on their teams.
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