4 Stages of Psychological Safety: Creating Safe Workplaces

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Psychological safety is the freedom to speak up, try ideas, or take risks without fear of being punished, retributed, or humiliated.

At work, psychological safety creates a positive work culture by:

• allowing employees to feel excited to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns without any worries of being dismissed or ridiculed.
• promoting a belief that everyone can pursue productivity and innovation without fears of negative backlashes in case of failure.
• reducing the risk of insubordination, as employees feel comfortable engaging with their bosses to offer authentic feedback and try new solutions.

Creating a culture of psychological safety at the workplace is often a trickle-down effect from the leaders and bosses. The ones on the top need to model the behavior they want to see and make employees feel safe to be vulnerable and authentic.

Susan David, PhD, says, “Only allowing so-called positive emotions at work requires everyone to perform more emotional labor and leads to organizational fragility. When we encourage authenticity and embrace each other as human first, we create a space in which everyone feels free to feel the way they feel. We create a culture of psychological safety.”

There are four stages of psychological safety that organizations can work towards achieving. Let’s dive in to find out more on them.

The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is an interpersonal construct that refers to the shared belief among team members that they can speak up without fear of negative consequences.

In the workplace, this construct is critical for creating an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas, asking questions, and admitting mistakes.

Researchers have identified four stages of psychological safety:

Stage 1: Inclusion Safety

• The first stage of psychological safety is inclusion safety. In this stage, team members feel safe to be themselves and feel included in the group.
• Employees feel that they are part of the team and that their contributions are valued. This can be achieved by providing opportunities for employees to collaborate and share their ideas.
• They believe that their perspectives and opinions are valued and that they belong in the team. This stage is critical for building trust among team members and creating a foundation for psychological safety.

Stage 2: Learner Safety

• The second stage of psychological safety is learner safety. In this stage, team members feel safe to ask questions, admit mistakes, and learn from each other.
• Employees feel safe to ask questions and admit their mistakes. This creates a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• They recognize that they don’t have all the answers and are open to feedback and constructive criticism. This stage is critical for fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Stage 3: Contributor Safety

• The third stage of psychological safety is contributor safety. In this stage, team members feel safe to share their ideas and opinions without fear of negative consequences.
• Employees feel empowered to contribute their ideas and take ownership of their work. This can be achieved by providing autonomy and recognizing employees for their contributions.
• They believe that their contributions are valued and that they have a voice in the decision-making process. This stage is critical for promoting innovation and creativity within the team.

Stage 4: Challenger Safety

• The final stage of psychological safety is challenger safety. In this stage, team members feel safe to challenge the status quo and take risks.
• Employees feel safe to challenge the status quo and suggest new ideas. This can be achieved by encouraging healthy debate and recognizing the value of diverse perspectives.
• They recognize that innovation requires taking calculated risks and are willing to speak up when they see an opportunity for improvement. This stage is critical for promoting a culture of innovation and driving progress within the team. Psychological safety, once established, can lead to increased innovation, creativity, and productivity within the team.

7 Leadership Roles In Building Psychological Safety

Leadership plays a crucial role in creating and maintaining psychological safety in the workplace.

1. Positive Management Practices: Some positive practices include fostering open communication, 360° feedback, discussing employee well-being, recognizing/rewarding contributions, encouraging professional growth, and creating an inclusive work environment. Example: A CEO can regularly emphasize in company meetings that every employee’s voice matters.
2. Safe Environment: Leaders who focus on psychological safety enable employees to speak up, share ideas, and make mistakes without fear of retribution. Example: A manager can implement regular check-ins with team members to discuss their well-being and work-life balance.
3. Culture of Innovation: This safe environment encourages employees to take risks and try new things, leading to greater innovation. Example: A team can be encouraged to brainstorm new product ideas or workflow processes, without playing down any suggestion at the ideation stage.
4. Modeling Vulnerability: Leaders can open up about their mistakes and failed experiments, to foster psychological safety in the employees. Example: A leader can share a personal story about a past failure and what they learned from it, encouraging team members to share their experiences without fear of criticism.
5. Building Trust and Community: Openness from leaders fosters trust and strengthens the sense of community within the workplace. Example: A manager can organize team-building activities that promote open communication and collaboration, helping employees feel more connected to one another.
6. Response to Feedback: How leaders respond to feedback is critical; defensiveness can create fear, while openness promotes growth and improvement. Example: After receiving constructive criticism about a project, a leader can thank the team for their inputs and discuss how they can implement the feedback to improve future work.
7. Initiative for Trust and Respect: Leaders must actively cultivate a culture of mutual trust and respect, especially when a team is facing challenges. Example: A team-leader can establish a “no blame” policy, where mistakes are considered learning opportunities, encouraging team members to support each other in solving challenges.

“Trickle Effect”

The trickle effect occurs when one person’s thoughts or actions influence another person or group, and then those changes spread like a chain reaction.

The definition of trickle effect is “a process whereby perceptions, feelings, attitudes, or behaviors of a source affect perceptions, feelings, attitudes, or behaviors of a transmitter, which in turn affect perceptions, feelings, attitudes, or behaviors of a recipient.”

Five different types of trickle effects:

1. Trickle-Down Effect: When behaviors, attitudes, or policies from higher levels of an organization influence those at lower levels. For example, if senior management promotes a culture of transparency, employees are likely to adopt similar behaviors, leading to a more open workplace.
2. Trickle-Out Effect: Where behaviors or attitudes spread from an organization to external stakeholders, such as customers, suppliers, or the broader community. For instance, if a company adopts sustainable practices, this can influence customers to also prioritize sustainability in their choices.
3. Trickle-Up Effect: The reverse of the trickle-down effect, where insights, behaviors, or attitudes from lower levels of an organization influence those at higher levels. For example, feedback from frontline employees about customer experiences can lead to changes in management strategies or policies.
4. Trickle-In Effect: This is external influences or trends permeate an organization from the outside in. For instance, societal changes or industry trends can lead to shifts in organizational culture or practices as companies adapt to remain relevant.
5. Trickle-Around Effect: The diffusion of behaviors or attitudes laterally among peers within the same level of an organization. For example, if a group of employees adopts a collaborative approach to problem-solving, this behavior can spread among their peers, fostering a more cooperative work environment.

Promoting Inclusion and Diversity

Psychological safety is an essential component of a healthy workplace. It is the feeling that one can speak up without fear of retaliation or rejection.

A psychologically safe workplace is one where employees feel included, valued, and respected. Inclusion and diversity are crucial to creating a psychologically safe workplace.

• Diversity refers to the differences among people in the workplace. These differences can include race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, and more.
• Inclusion is the act of creating an environment where all employees feel valued and respected, regardless of their differences.

Promoting inclusion and diversity in the workplace can help organizations benefit from a wider range of perspectives, experiences, and ideas. Organizations can take these steps:

• Developing and implementing diversity and inclusion policies and training programs.
• Encouraging open communication and dialogue among all employees.
• Providing opportunities for employees to learn about and celebrate different cultures and perspectives.
• Ensuring that all employees have access to the same opportunities for advancement and professional development.
• Creating a workplace culture that values and respects all employees, regardless of their differences.
• Diversifying the workplace by hiring employees from different backgrounds and experiences.

Encouraging Innovation and Creativity

Encouraging employees to think outside the box and challenge the status quo can lead to breakthrough ideas and solutions.

According to Google’s Project Aristotle, psychological safety is the most important factor in creating high-performing teams.

“Project Aristotle shows that the best teams at Google exhibit a range of soft skills: equality, generosity, curiosity toward the ideas of your teammates, empathy, and emotional intelligence. And topping the list: emotional safety. No bullying. To succeed, each and every team member must feel confident speaking up and making mistakes. They must know they are being heard.”

— The Washington Post

To encourage innovation and creativity, organizations must create a psychologically safe environment.

Building Trust and Open Communication

Trust is essential for psychological safety to exist within a team. Without trust, neither the company nor its employees can thrive or grow.

Building trust requires open communication, honest expression, and non-judgmental feedback.

This annual review report provides a comprehensive overview of the importance of trust in creating a psychologically safe workplace environment.

Leveraging Conflict for Growth

Conflict is often viewed as a negative force that can harm team dynamics and productivity. However, when managed effectively, conflict can actually be leveraged for growth and innovation.

This is where psychological safety comes into play.

According to a study by Edmondson and Lei (2014), psychological safety is defined as “a shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.”

When team members feel psychologically safe, they are more likely to engage in:

• Constructive dissent — expressing their opinions and ideas, even if they go against the majority.
• Creative abrasion — engaging in productive debate and challenging each other’s assumptions.
• Intellectual friction — rigorously debating and critiquing each other’s ideas and suggestions.

Implementing Psychological Safety In Organizations

Four stages of implementing psychological safety in organizations:

1. Assessing the current state: Before implementing psychological safety, it is important to assess the current state of the organization. This involves identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the current company culture and determining the areas that need improvement. Companies can use surveys, focus groups, and interviews to gather feedback from employees about their experiences in the workplace.
2. Creating a shared understanding: The next stage involves creating a shared understanding of what psychological safety means and why it is critical. Teams are educated on psychological safety and its benefits. Companies can use training sessions, workshops, and seminars to help employees understand and implement it.
3. Building psychological safety: The third stage involves building psychological safety within the organization. This involves creating an environment where employees feel comfortable expressing their opinions and ideas without fear of judgment or retaliation. Companies can have open-door policies, active listening, and encouraging feedback to build psychological safety.
4. Sustaining psychological safety: The final stage involves sustaining psychological safety. This involves embedding it into the company culture and ensuring that it becomes a part of the way things are done. Companies can recognize and reward employees who help build psychological safety in their domain, incorporating it in performance evaluations, and creating a safe environment for employees to speak up.

Overcoming Challenges in Psychological Safety

1. Fear of Speaking Up: Employees may hesitate to share their thoughts due to fear of dismissal or punishment. Solution: Create an open and inclusive environment where everyone’s opinions are valued and respected.
2. Lack of Results or Progress: Employees may become discouraged if they do not see changes after sharing their ideas. Solution: Leaders should communicate the progress made and the impact of implemented changes to encourage continued sharing.
3. Lack of Trust: A significant challenge arises when employees do not trust their colleagues or leaders, leading to poor communication and collaboration. Solution: Build trust through transparency, honesty, and openness to feedback, fostering a culture where employees feel comfortable sharing.
4. Willingness to Learn and Adapt: Overcoming challenges requires a commitment to learning from mistakes and adapting behaviors. Solution: Embrace a growth mindset and a willingness to change to cultivate a culture of psychological safety.

FAQs

Final Words

• The first mentions of psychological safety trace back to 1965, when Edgar Schein and Warren Bennis noted that it was essential for making people feel secure and capable of changing.
• Schein later discussed psychological safety for helping people focus on achieving shared goals, and solving problems without excessive self-protection or defensiveness.
• William Kahn (1990) brought psychological safety into the modern era with a qualitative study of a summer camp and an architecture firm, connecting psychological safety to engagement.

Today, psychological safety has become a non-dispensable part of company policies.

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√ Also Read: Fundamental Attribution Error – 6 Crucial Questions Answered

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