{"id":8841,"date":"2023-08-04T13:53:32","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T13:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/?p=8841"},"modified":"2026-04-06T11:07:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T11:07:04","slug":"psychological-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/psychological-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create Psychological Safety in the Workplace?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Did you know that, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gallup.com\/workplace\/236198\/create-culture-psychological-safety.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gallup\u2019s survey<\/a>, <strong>psychological safety leads to reduced employee turnover and better productivity<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aside from that, the survey shows that just 3 in 10 US employees agree that their opinions seem to count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With that in mind, we can understand that many companies struggle to make their employees feel psychologically safe in the workplace, which consequently makes them less productive and satisfied with their jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this blog post, you\u2019ll find out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What psychological safety is and what it\u2019s not,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What the stages of creating psychological safety are, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How leaders can build psychological safety in the workplace.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>So, let\u2019s start!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Psychological-safety-cover.png\" alt=\"Psychological safety - cover\" class=\"wp-image-8882\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Psychological-safety-cover.png 1200w, https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Psychological-safety-cover-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Psychological-safety-cover-1024x512.png 1024w, https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Psychological-safety-cover-768x384.png 768w, https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Psychological-safety-cover-18x9.png 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 id=\"what-is-psychological-safety-in-the-workplace\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is psychological safety in the workplace?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Amy Edmondson, the Harvard Business School professor and author of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/en\/book\/show\/40275161\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Fearless Organization<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em>first introduced the concept of psychological safety in the workplace, and defined it as <strong>employees\u2019 belief that they won&#8217;t be punished or humiliated for expressing their ideas or concerns, as well as making mistakes<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She conducted the research on correlation between mistake-making and teamwork in hospitals, with a hypothesis that more effective teams make fewer errors. However, the results were exactly the opposite of what she expected \u2015 more effective teams make more mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, her new hypothesis was that more effective teams feel free to admit their mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In her influential book<em>, <\/em>Edmondson states:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201c<em>When people have psychological safety at work, they feel comfortable sharing concerns and mistakes without fear of embarrassment or retribution.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, psychological safety in the workplace is the absence of fear to speak up with any work-relevant content, so people feel free to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Share ideas<\/strong>,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Give suggestions<\/strong>,&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Take risks<\/strong>,&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Admit mistakes<\/strong>,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Express concerns<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/ask-questions-at-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Ask questions<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Edmondson emphasizes that <em>team psychological safety<\/em> is a group-level phenomenon \u2015 <strong>the<\/strong><strong> level of psychological safety in the workplace is a team characteristic<\/strong>, not an individual trait.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thus, people who work in the same team have similar levels of psychological safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, psychological safety in the workplace is <strong>a shared belief held by team members that they are safe for interpersonal risk-taking<\/strong> \u2015 an acknowledgment that every interpersonal action we take has a certain level of risk.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or, as Edmondson points out in her work:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201c<em>Psychological safety sets the stage for a more honest, more challenging, more collaborative, and thus also more effective work environment<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"banner banner-dark pumble-gradient-default\">\n    <div class=\"banner-text lg:pr-[6rem]\">\n        <span class=\"h4 text-lg translation-block mb-0\">Free team communication app<\/span>\n        <p class=\"translation-block mt-1 mb-3\">Improve collaboration and cut down on emails by moving your team communication to Pumble.<\/p>\n\n        <div class=\"banner-buttons d-flex gap-4 align-items-center translation-block justify-content-center justify-content-sm-start\">\n            <a class=\"bg-white rounded px-3 py-1 text-gray-dark\" href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/register\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up<\/a>\n\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"banner-image banner-image-right \">\n        <picture>\n            <source srcset=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/default@2x.png 2x\" alt=\"Illustration\"  media=\"(min-width: 1022px)\" \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/default.png\"  alt=\"Illustration\" \/>\n        <\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    \n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"what-psychological-safety-is-not\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What psychological safety is not?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once we\u2019ve understood what psychological safety is, it\u2019s also important to clarify what it\u2019s not, as this concept may be easily misunderstood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Edmondson, psychological safety is <strong>not about being nice or lowering performance standards<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, it\u2019s <strong>neither a personality factor nor another word for trust<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, let\u2019s see how psychological safety differs from these concepts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"difference-1-psychological-safety-is-not-about-being-nice\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Difference #1: Psychological safety is not about being nice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Team psychological safety doesn\u2019t imply granted support or total agreement, but openness and transparency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In such an environment, people don\u2019t avoid <a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/learn\/collaboration\/team-conflict\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">disagreements and conflicts<\/a> but solve them with respect and the intention to get the best out of it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group pro-tip\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p>\ud83d\udca1 <strong>Pumble Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Disagreements are a healthy part of team communication and collaboration if you disagree assertively and respectfully. If you\u2019re not sure how to do so, make sure to check out our blog post:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/disagree-respectfully-at-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How to disagree respectfully at work<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"custom-btn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/register\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Don&#8217;t leave any disagreement unresolved with Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"difference-2-psychological-safety-is-not-about-lowering-performance-standards\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Difference #2: Psychological safety is not about lowering performance standards&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Psychological safety and performance standards (accountability) are separate but interrelated dimensions, which influence the final performance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In her TEDx talk, Edmondson highlights the importance of both of these dimensions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201c<em>If you\u2019re only talking about people\u2019s accountability for excellence, and not making sure they\u2019re not afraid to talk to each other, then they\u2019re in an anxiety zone.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Put differently, when psychological safety is low and performance standards are high, people are in the \u201c<em>anxiety zone<\/em>\u201d, so they are anxious about speaking up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For high performance, we need both psychological safety and high performance standards<\/strong>. We\u2019re then in the \u201c<em>learning zone<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To the contrary, when both psychological safety and performance standards are low, the workplace becomes an \u201c<em>apathy zone<\/em>\u201d, where people choose self-protection over exertion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, in workplaces with high psychological safety and low-performance standards, people are in the \u201c<em>comfort zone<\/em>\u201d \u2015 they are collaborative, but not ready to take challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"difference-3-psychological-safety-is-not-a-personality-factor\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Difference #3: Psychological safety is not a personality factor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As we already mentioned, psychological safety is a group phenomenon, so it\u2019s not about the person\u2019s extroversion or introversion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regardless of personality traits, people freely voice their opinions in a psychologically safe environment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, even extroverts don\u2019t speak up in a workplace where psychological safety is not present.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"difference-4-psychological-safety-is-not-another-word-for-trust\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Difference #4: Psychological safety is not another word for trust&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Edmondson says:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201c<em>Trust is about giving others the benefit of the doubt, and psychological safety relates to whether others give you the benefit of the doubt when, for instance, you have asked for help or admitted a mistake<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, unlike psychological safety, trust is experienced between two parties. Aside from that, trust is related to the future, while psychological safety refers to immediate experience.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group pro-tip\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p>\ud83d\udca1 <strong>Pumble Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Building trust in virtual teams is critical as it creates a supportive and productive work environment and allows team members to take risks. To learn more about how to build trust in a virtual team, make sure to check out our blog post:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/building-trust-in-virtual-teams\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Building trust in virtual teams<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"banner banner-dark pumble-gradient-landing-1\">\n    <div class=\"banner-text lg:pr-[6rem]\">\n        <span class=\"h4 text-lg translation-block mb-0\">Empower team communication &amp; trust<\/span>\n        <p class=\"translation-block mt-1 mb-3\">Discuss, share &amp; collaborate with Pumble, a team communication app by CAKE.com.<\/p>\n\n        <div class=\"banner-buttons d-flex gap-4 align-items-center translation-block justify-content-center justify-content-sm-start\">\n            <a class=\"bg-white rounded px-3 py-1 text-gray-dark\" href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\" target=\"_blank\">Explore<\/a>\n\n                            <a class=\"button-2\" href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/register\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up<\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"banner-image banner-image-stretch \">\n        <picture>\n            <source srcset=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/landing-1@2x.png 2x\" alt=\"Illustration\"  media=\"(min-width: 1022px)\" \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/landing-1.png\"  alt=\"Illustration\" \/>\n        <\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    \n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"4-stages-of-psychological-safety-and-effective-ways-for-reaching-them\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">4 Stages of psychological safety and effective ways for reaching them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In his book <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/48912803-the-4-stages-of-psychological-safety?from_search=true&amp;from_srp=true&amp;qid=l4LEESmuBM&amp;rank=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Four Stages Of Psychological Safety<\/em><\/a>, Timothy R. Clark describes the 4 stages a team progresses through to create a psychologically safe environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, let&#8217;s dig deeper into each of them and see their key specifics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"stage-1-inclusion-safety-stage\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stage #1: Inclusion safety stage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The first step in creating team psychological safety is making people feel included and appreciated.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only that, but newcomers should also feel welcomed and accepted by the team.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the name suggests, the inclusion safety stage means that <strong>all members feel they belong to the team, without discrimination regarding any type of condition<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, to reach the inclusion safety stage, all members should respect the personal differences of each other.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"the-most-effective-ways-to-get-your-team-to-the-inclusion-stage\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The most effective ways to get your team to the inclusion stage<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>As a leader, you can follow several most effective practices to get your team to the first stage of psychological safety:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Be approachable<\/strong>: One of the most effective ways to make people feel included in the team is to be available and make time for them. To achieve so, leaders should:&nbsp;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Organize <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/one-on-one-meeting\/\" target=\"_blank\">one-to-one meetings<\/a> with members,&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Offer feedback, and&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Listen carefully.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ask for opinions and feedback<\/strong>: As a leader, it\u2019s your responsibility to be open to feedback. When team members feel safe to share their opinion and <a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/remote-constructive-feedback\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">give feedback<\/a> to their leader, the <a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/remote-decision-making-models\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">decision-making process<\/a> is better.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group pro-tip\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p>\ud83d\udca1 <strong>Pumble Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Diversity, equity, and inclusion are crucial for a healthy workplace. To learn how to embrace them in work communication, make sure to read our blog post:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/diversity-in-communications\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A guide to diversity, equity, and inclusion in workplace communications<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"stage-2-learner-safety-stage\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stage #2: Learner safety stage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Only when people feel they\u2019re included in the team can they progress to the second stage \u2015 learning safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This stage implies that team members are free to:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ask questions (even if it means asking <a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/ask-tough-questions-at-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tough questions<\/a>),<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make mistakes, and&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Receive and ask for feedback.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, in this stage, people become more active than in the previous stage and venture into new learning experiences.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"the-most-effective-ways-to-get-your-team-to-the-learning-stage\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The most effective ways to get your team to the learning stage<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Leaders have a vital role in getting their teams to the learning safety stage. The way they respond to members\u2019 mistakes and their attitude towards learning can significantly help people reach the learning safety stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, here are some of the most powerful ways for getting team members to this stage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Set an example<\/strong>: The most effective way for encouraging people to learn is to lead by example. To inspire your team, take interpersonal risks and share your own failures. As a leader, you should spread the willingness to learn and encourage them to get out of their comfort zone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The author of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/143938572-the-mistakes-that-make-us?from_search=true&amp;from_srp=true&amp;qid=ScJsZH8G1n&amp;rank=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Mistakes That Make Us<\/em><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mgraban\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mark Graben<\/a>, believes that leading by example is critical for creating psychological safety:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns pro-blockquote is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-duotone-unset-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Mark-Graban.jpeg\" alt=\"Mark Graban\" class=\"wp-image-8844\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Mark-Graban.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Mark-Graban-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Mark-Graban-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Mark-Graban-12x12.jpeg 12w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201c<em>Leaders need to model the behaviors that they want to see in the workplace, including:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Saying \u2018I could be wrong, so let&#8217;s test that idea\u2019,<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Inviting others to disagree with them,<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Admitting a mistake,<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/say-i-dont-know-professionally\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Saying \u2018I don&#8217;t know\u2019<\/em><\/a><em>, and<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Sharing their authentic emotions and whole selves.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Leaders have to lead by example. They can encourage others to speak up with candor in various ways, but they have to lead through action. After leading by example, modeling these behaviors, they then need to reward employees who do the same <\/em>\u2015<em> those who follow their lead<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Focus on solutions<\/strong>: To make your team reach the second stage of psychological safety, it\u2019s critical to avoid blaming. Instead, focus on solutions. To achieve so as a leader, you should use collaborative language and an assertive <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/learn\/communication\/communication-styles\/\" target=\"_blank\">communication style<\/a>. For example, instead of: \u201c<em>Why did you do that?<\/em>\u201d, it\u2019s better to say something like this: \u201c<em>What can we do differently next time?<\/em>\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group pro-tip\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p>\ud83d\udca1 <strong>Pumble Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more about the most effective leadership communication styles,&nbsp;and how to improve leadership communication, check out our blog post:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/communication-styles-for-leaders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Leadership communication: Skills, styles, &amp; tips for improvement<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"custom-btn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/register\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Practice effective leadership communication in Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"stage-3-contributor-safety-stage\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stage #3: Contributor safety stage&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once people acquire new skills and knowledge, they naturally desire to apply them in their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the third stage of psychological safety, people feel safe to make a difference and contribute. As a result, they have more responsibilities and freedom to express their competence, so they become more confident to develop and go the extra mile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"the-most-effective-ways-to-get-your-team-to-the-contributor-stage\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The most effective ways to get your team to the contributor stage<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>To make people feel safe to contribute, leaders can do the following practices:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Show gratitude<\/strong>: When leaders express gratitude for all contributions and ideas, people feel safe and motivated to make a difference and contribute to the team.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Let your team see you understand and value their viewpoints<\/strong>: Leaders should always show they care about team members\u2019 opinions. To do so, they can use <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/learn\/communication\/active-listening\/\" target=\"_blank\">active listening techniques<\/a>, such as paraphrasing, to make sure they understand correctly. Aside from that, be aware of your body language and facial expressions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"stage-4-challenger-safety-stage\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stage #4: Challenger safety stage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The final stage of psychological safety is the Challenger safety stage \u2015 \u201c<em>the license to innovate<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This stage implies being able to come up with team innovations \u2015 put differently, being able to challenge the current behaviors and ways of working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here, team members feel encouraged to think critically and debate constructively, which fosters creativity and improves decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, only when reaching the challenger stage will the team members truly be able to bring innovations to the team.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"the-most-effective-ways-to-get-your-team-to-the-challenger-stage\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The most effective ways to get your team to the challenger stage<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some tips on how to help your team reach the final stage of psychological safety.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Remind people that it\u2019s safe to speak up<\/strong>: To encourage people to voice their ideas, it\u2019s important to give them permission, so make sure to remind them that you need their honest opinion.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Encourage creativity<\/strong>: As a leader, you should always appreciate creative ideas no matter if they work.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"additional-ways-for-creating-psychological-safety-in-the-workplace\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional ways for creating psychological safety in the workplace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you\u2019re familiar with each of the psychological safety stages and the best ways for reaching them, it\u2019s a good moment to discuss the most popular techniques for creating a psychologically safe environment \u2014 icebreakers and psychological safety surveys \u2014 in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"way-1-using-icebreakers\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Way #1: Using icebreakers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As one of the most effective techniques for creating psychological safety, <a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/ice-breaker-questions-for-virtual-meetings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">using icebreakers<\/a> is a great way to help people move through the four stages of psychological safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simply put, teams use icebreakers in the first five minutes of meetings to encourage team members to speak up and connect with each other.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the name implies, this way, people break the ice and feel more comfortable presenting their ideas or concerns.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As such, this psychological safety technique is effective for both virtual and onsite teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, here are some examples of using icebreakers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What\u2019s the weather like?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Where do you want to go on holiday?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Two truths and a lie: Each team member lists three things about themselves \u2015 one is a lie, and two are true.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"way-2-conducting-psychological-safety-surveys\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Way #2: Conducting psychological safety surveys<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A more direct way for creating and maintaining team psychological safety is to conduct surveys, which can give you valuable insights into the current state of psychological safety in the team.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Edmondson lists 7 survey items, out of which, 3 indicate the presence of psychological safety, and 4 items are expressed negatively (marked with \u201cR\u201d \u2015 \u201creversed score\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She suggests using a 7 or 5-point Likert scale \u2015 from strongly agree to strongly disagree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, let\u2019s take a look at the items:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If you make a mistake on this team, it is often held against you. (R)&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Members of this team are able to bring up problems and tough issues.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>People on this team sometimes reject others for being different. (R)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is safe to take a risk on this team.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is difficult to ask other members of this team for help. (R)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No one on this team would deliberately act in a way that undermines my efforts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Working with members of this team, my unique skills and talents are valued and utilized.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"banner banner-dark pumble-gradient-landing-2\">\n    <div class=\"banner-text lg:pr-[6rem]\">\n        <span class=\"h4 text-lg translation-block mb-0\">Collaborate in real time<\/span>\n        <p class=\"translation-block mt-1 mb-3\">Build safety and empower your team with an all-around communication app.<\/p>\n\n        <div class=\"banner-buttons d-flex gap-4 align-items-center translation-block justify-content-center justify-content-sm-start\">\n            <a class=\"bg-white rounded px-3 py-1 text-gray-dark\" href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\" target=\"_blank\">Explore<\/a>\n\n                            <a class=\"button-2\" href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/register\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up<\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"banner-image banner-image-middle \">\n        <picture>\n            <source srcset=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/landing-2@2x.png 2x\" alt=\"Illustration\"  media=\"(min-width: 1022px)\" \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/landing-2.png\"  alt=\"Illustration\" \/>\n        <\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    \n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"why-is-psychological-safety-in-the-workplace-critical\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why is psychological safety in the workplace critical?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Considering <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplypsychology.org\/maslow.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Maslow\u2019s hierarchy of needs<\/a>, safety is the most important need, immediately after physiological needs such as food and water.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having in mind that security of employment is one of the basic human needs, we can better understand the employees\u2019 fear of expressing their ideas and concerns in the workplace.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, in a psychologically unsafe work environment, people hesitate to speak up with their points of view, as they feel fear of being shamed or degraded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, let\u2019s dig deeper into the key reasons why psychological safety in the workplace is important for both employees and companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"reason-1-psychological-safety-in-the-workplace-makes-employees-more-motivated-and-engaged\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reason #1: Psychological safety in the workplace makes employees more motivated and engaged<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When psychological safety is present at work, it\u2019s easier to get employees motivated and engaged. In other words, when people feel free to express their ideas and concerns, they are more motivated to contribute and feel appreciated.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, in a psychologically unsafe work environment, people hesitate to express themselves, which harms their motivation and inspiration.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"reason-2-psychological-safety-in-the-workplace-fosters-an-inclusive-culture\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reason #2: Psychological safety in the workplace fosters an inclusive culture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Inclusive workplace culture has been more important than ever for maintaining effective team collaboration and team harmony.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simply put, inclusivity refers to the feeling of belonging, which enhances group cohesion and makes individuals feel respected.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, in psychologically safe workplaces, people feel more included, which improves both employee experience and <a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/learn\/collaboration\/productive-teams\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">team performance<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"reason-3-psychological-safety-at-the-workplace-leads-to-better-decision-making\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reason #3: Psychological safety at the workplace leads to better decision-making<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In her book, Edmondson points out that people unconsciously tend to <strong>discount the future<\/strong>, which she defines as underweighting the more important issue and overweighting the importance of the manager\u2019s response.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, employees often hesitate to express their opinion at the cost of future outcomes, as they believe it might harm their interpersonal relationships and employment security.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is one of the key reasons why companies have to maintain a psychologically safe environment, so all employees can express themselves.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As such, this work environment encourages people to voice their opinions and concerns, which consequently leads to more perspectives being considered when making critical decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"custom-btn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/register\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Host productive decision-making sessions in Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"reason-4-psychological-safety-in-the-workplace-boosts-team-performance\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reason #4: Psychological safety in the workplace boosts team performance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As psychological safety improves <a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/employee-communication-and-engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">employee engagement<\/a> and leads to better decision-making, it also boosts team performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moreover, according to Edmondson, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Schein highlights that psychological safety helps people <strong>focus on their shared goals rather than self-protection<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, they manage to achieve more and contribute to the overall team performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"reason-5-psychological-safety-in-the-workplace-fosters-a-learning-culture\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reason #5: Psychological safety in the workplace fosters a learning culture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Our contributor, Mark Graben, highlights that psychological safety contributes to the learning culture:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns pro-blockquote is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Mark-Graban-1.jpeg\" alt=\"Mark Graban\" class=\"wp-image-8845\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Mark-Graban-1.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Mark-Graban-1-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Mark-Graban-1-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Mark-Graban-1-12x12.jpeg 12w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201c<em>With higher levels of psychological safety, a company is more likely to have a robust culture of learning from mistakes. In a high psychological safety environment, the focus is on learning from mistakes and preventing them instead of being punitive. When leaders punish mistakes, employees just get better at hiding them \u2014 and that&#8217;s not a path to success<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, in psychologically safe teams, people have a positive attitude towards mistakes and see them as growth opportunities.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As psychological safety fosters a learning culture, it contributes to both employees\u2019 growth and overall team productivity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"banner banner-light pumble-gradient-templates\">\n    <div class=\"banner-text lg:pr-[6rem]\">\n        <span class=\"h4 text-lg translation-block mb-0\">All-in-one digital HQ<\/span>\n        <p class=\"translation-block mt-1 mb-3\">A communication app for teams of all kinds. Discuss, share, and collaborate.<\/p>\n\n        <div class=\"banner-buttons d-flex gap-4 align-items-center translation-block justify-content-center justify-content-sm-start\">\n            <a class=\"bg-white rounded px-3 py-1 text-gray-dark\" href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/solutions\" target=\"_blank\">Solutions<\/a>\n\n                            <a class=\"button-2\" href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/register\" target=\"_blank\">Register<\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"banner-image banner-image-middle \">\n        <picture>\n            <source srcset=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/templates@2x.png 2x\" alt=\"Illustration\"  media=\"(min-width: 1022px)\" \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/templates.png\"  alt=\"Illustration\" \/>\n        <\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    \n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"promote-psychological-safety-with-pumble-by-cake-com\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Promote psychological safety with Pumble by CAKE.com<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Team leaders have a responsibility to create and maintain a psychologically safe environment, where all members can freely express their opinions, ideas, and concerns, as well as ask questions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To make people feel heard and appreciated in a remote or hybrid setting, it\u2019s important to <strong>choose the right <a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/team-collaboration-software\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">team collaboration software like Pumble<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/cake.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CAKE.com<\/a>, which contributes to effective and well-organized communication<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Pumble, an all-in-one team communication app, you can take advantage of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Dedicated <a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/features\/channels\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">channels<\/a><\/strong> for discussing certain topic, sharing ideas, or concerns,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/features\/direct-messages\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Direct messages<\/a> <\/strong>for giving feedback and encouraging employees to learn from their mistakes, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/video-conferencing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Video calls<\/a> <\/strong>for brainstorming ideas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to create a psychological safe workplace with Pumble? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"custom-btn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/register\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Get started with Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Psychological safety in the workplace is the key to high team performance. Find out how to make your team feel psychologically safe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":9478,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication-tips"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8841"}],"version-history":[{"count":50,"href":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23947,"href":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8841\/revisions\/23947"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}