Psychological Safety: What it isn’t.

Psychological safety has become a hot topic recently, for good reason and hopefully this will result in better, safer, and more inclusive workplaces for everyone. However, the rise in its popularity has led to a range of misunderstandings and misconceptions; and the term itself has suffered from “semantic diffusion”, resulting in it often being used to mean something that it isn’t. In this examination, we will clarify what psychological safety is by emphasising what it is not.

Addressing the myths about psychological safety

It’s crucial to make the point that psychological safety is not about lowering standards, avoiding conflict, or coddling people. It’s not “ruinous empathy” or a space where anything goes, such as tolerating racist language. It’s not taking unwarranted risks, or just doing what we want. Let’s dive a bit further into these:

1. You can’t have “too much” psychological safety.

Just as it would be absurd to suggest that you can be “too safe” in a factory or mine, there’s no such thing as “too much” psychological safety. Some research has attempted to suggest that you can be “too” safe, but it’s very poor quality and misrepresents psychological safety.

2. Psychological Safety is not about lowering standards.

Psychological safety is actually about raising standards: of behaviour, practice, capability and achievement. Indeed, it’s fostering greater psychological safety that enables us to achieve greater results.

3. It’s not specifically about mental health, wellbeing, or wellness.

Psychological safety in a team context should not be confused with mental health, which is a multifaceted, and very important, concern. While a psychologically safe environment may enhance overall well-being, it doesn’t replace the attention and care needed for mental health.

4. It’s not “simply” an Inclusion and Diversity exercise

Psychological safety is not “simply” a DE&I approach, however it is essential to any diversity, equity and inclusion effort. Without psychological safety, we cannot be inclusive, and without inclusion, diversity efforts will fail. Additionally, we should recognise the influence that privilege has on psychological safety; people who are lucky enough to have been born white, cisgendered, able bodied, into a wealthy family and with access to good education, will often find it easier to feel psychologically safe in groups at work. Speaking up almost always involves taking a risk – whether that’s interpersonal, job security, financial or reputational – and the stakes are higher for some than others. If we care about inclusion and diversity, we must care about psychological safety, and if we care about psychological safety, we must also care about inclusion and diversity.

5. It’s not job security, but it is connected

The term is not a euphemism for guaranteed employment or an environment that promotes complacency. Rather, it’s a context that encourages active participation, risk-taking, and innovation among team members. However, job insecurity and a risk of redundancies can harm psychological safety: if a manager uses the risk of losing your job to increase standards, it won’t result in fewer mistakes, only heightened anxiety and hidden mistakes. Strong employment rights and clear policies that support employees are correlated with higher psychological safety.

6. It’s not a permanent state

Building a psychologically safe environment is not a one-off task. It’s a delicate and evolving condition that requires constant effort and nurturing. It isn’t static; it’s dynamic, and it requires consistent work.

7. It’s not solely dependent on leadership, nor is it only the group’s responsibility.

While leaders play a crucial role, psychological safety is a shared responsibility. It cannot be dictated by a single person, even if that person is in charge. It’s a collective group phenomenon among team members. Additionally, organisational power structures, incentives, hierarchies and systems affect psychological safety in positive and negative ways: we must address psychological safety in a complex sociotechnical system, not just the team “bubble”.

8. It’s not linked to certain personalities

Psychological safety doesn’t favour extroverts over introverts or those with certain characteristics. It thrives on diversity and the sum of all parts, not individual attributes. However, we all bring our experiences, trauma, and context to the groups we’re in. If we’ve previously suffered a bullying boss, it’s going to take considerably more effort and time to help us feel psychological safety in a group. A group is only as safe as the least safe person in the group.

9. It’s not trust, but it is strongly connected

Although trust is a vital element, psychological safety goes beyond mere trust between individuals. It includes an intricate web of relationships at the group level, emphasising how team members feel they are perceived by others. The primary difference between psychological safety and trust is that psychological safety consists of beliefs concerning the group norms – what it means to be a member of that group – whilst trust focusses on the beliefs that one person has about another.

10. It’s not about pretending everything is fine

Being psychologically safe does not mean avoiding disagreements or acting overly nice. It means fostering an environment where constructive conflict is welcome, and authenticity is valued. In fact, environments of “toxic positivity“, where concerns are shut down because “we only want good vibes here“, are some of the least psychologically safe environments, even though from the outside they may look very safe. It’s certainly not about avoiding conflict!

11. It’s not an excuse for brutality

Psychological safety does not endorse rudeness or thoughtless honesty. It encourages empathy and consideration, not cruelty. Kim Scott’s Radical Candor is an excellent approach, but often misinterpreted to excuse brutal honesty, which is not helpful, and damages psychological safety.

12. It’s not a peripheral concern, or a “nice to have”

As well as being the morally right thing to do, psychological safety is a core organisational strategy with direct implications for productivity and performance, whether in healthcare, aviation, technology or other domain.

13. It’s not intangible

By understanding and applying social science research methodologies, qualitative and mixed methods approaches, and carefully designing research, psychological safety can be measured. However it must be done with care, as measuring it without due consideration for the impact of measurement itself can result in harm to people and psychological safety itself. Be very wary of tools that purport to measure psychological safety.

14. It’s not comfortable, particularly for people in leadership roles

Psychological safety does not mean avoiding uncomfortable or challenging topics. It encourages open dialogue, even when it leads to discomfort, provided it’s done with respect and empathy. For leaders who are accustomed to compliance, psychological safety can present challenges and create discomfort: because you will be hearing questions, concerns, and mistakes that you aren’t used to hearing.

Misconceptions about psychological safety

Psychological safety is both complex and precise, and its popularity has given rise to numerous misconceptions. By understanding what psychological safety is not, we can better appreciate its true nature and its power to transform teams. It’s a multifaceted, dynamic, emergent phenomenon that fosters innovation, respect, and empathy. It’s neither a panacea nor a cliché but a tangible and vital aspect of successful team dynamics.