Psychological safety
What is psychological safety?
A shared belief that a group is safe for interpersonal risk-taking, where people won't be humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes. Individuals feel that they belong within the group and are accepted for who they are. Where everyone’s ideas and experiences are welcomed, regardless of role or background.
Four stages of psychological safety
To discover the stages, select the headings below:
1. Inclusion safety
Now team members are able to challenge the team functioning and create new ways of working. They feel safe to respectfully challenge other members ideas. This stage is powerful as it allows for new ideas and enables learning from mistakes.
2. Learner safety
This stage encourages a growth mindset. Members of the team are able to ask questions or for help, give and receive feedback, experiment and make mistakes. Essentially, being able to apply all the behaviours that allow the team to learn together.
3. Contributor safety
This stage team members now feel empowered to contribute ideas and suggestions. They can raise concerns and risks without fear of reprisal. Now all members know they can contribute and they will be listened to as their skills, competencies, and insights are recognised by the team.
4. Challenger safety
Now team members are able to challenge the team functioning and create new ways of working. They feel safe to respectfully challenge other members ideas. This stage is powerful as it allows for new ideas and enables learning from mistakes.
