Psychological safety is a belief that you are free to share your thoughts and not be punished for speaking your mind. It is an important area of research in the field of organizational behaviour. Current research has shown that organizations and teams with higher psychological safety are more productive, creative, and happier. And teams and organizations that have higher psychological safety make better and more ethical decisions.

However, current research also shows that psychological safety is fragile within organizations and teams. Critical events such as new leadership, organizational strategy changes, and external situations (such as a pandemic) can adversely affect an organization’s psychological safety.

We will examine current research to better understand psychological safety for organizations and teams. We will then introduce ways to assess and improve psychological safety for both organizations and teams.