Debunking misconceptions about workplace psychological safety
- It doesn’t mean being nice in order to avoid arguments. Instead, being candid and offering constructive feedback are important for improvement. “When psychological safety exists, people believe that sharing hard truths is expected. It allows good debates to happen when they’re needed. But it doesn’t mean that participants find debates comfortable,” they wrote.
- It doesn’t mean that all ideas necessarily have to be supported. While leaders should consider everyone’s input, they don’t need to agree when making a decision.
- It doesn’t mean protection from layoffs.
- It doesn’t have to get in the way of accountability for someone’s performance—leaders can still address mistakes.
- It cannot be implemented only through policy, such as the Workplace Psychological Safety Act passed by the Rhode Island state senate in 2024. “Telling people in a company or on a team that they must have psychological safety ‘or else’ will not produce it,” Edmondson and Kerrissey wrote. “Psychological safety, rather than being created by a policy, is built in a group, interaction by interaction.”
- It does not need to be started by top leadership in an organization—any team at any level can build a productive learning environment.
