Psychological Safety and Creativity

By Jade Garratt

It will probably come as no great surprise to those of us who work with the concept of psychological safety that one of the earliest references to the term in academic and psychological literature comes from Carl Rogers, and highlights creativity (1902–1987).

Rogers, an American psychologist and a founder of humanistic psychology, urged us to see people as whole, valuable human beings who are capable of self-direction and living with intentionality.

Carl Rogers and The Roots of Psychological Safety

In 1954, Rogers wrote a paper proposing a “tentative theory of creativity — the nature of the creative act, the conditions under which it occurs, and the manner in which it may constructively be fostered.” He was responding, in part, to a growing societal concern: a ‘dearth of creativity’.

Among the contributing factors in this dearth of creativity, Rogers highlighted education systems that tend “to turn out conformists, stereotypes, individuals whose education is ‘completed’, rather than freely creative and original thinkers.” He also pointed to an over-reliance on passive leisure time activities over creative ones and to a culture of work in which creativity is often reserved for a select few in management or design roles, not the majority. 

Any of this sounding familiar?

In fact, Rogers suggested that “genuinely creative adaptation seems to represent the only possibility that man can keep abreast of the kaleidoscopic change in his world.”

The Berlin Wall (2017) – Artist Unknown

But Rogers didn’t believe we could force creativity into existence. Instead, he saw it as something we can only invite – by creating the right conditions to foster and nourish it. Drawing on his experience in psychotherapy, he wrote: 

“by setting up conditions of psychological safety and freedom, we maximise the likelihood of an emergence of constructive creativity.”

Rogers went on to describe three interrelated processes that help create psychological safety:

1. “Accepting the individual as of unconditional worth.” This means working from the basic conviction that a person is worthy in their own right. They are inherently valuable just as they are, regardless of their current behaviour or situation. For Rogers, this fundamental acceptance and valuing was central to fostering psychological safety.
2. “Providing a climate in which external evaluation is absent.” Rogers believed that external evaluation is always experienced as a threat. It disrupts psychological safety and stifles creativity. A truly safe climate, then, avoids judgement in favour of openness.
3. “Understanding empathically.” Here, Rogers acknowledged that basic acceptance alone is too shallow. It must be coupled by a true attempt to come to understand the person, and see their point of view and their perspective with empathy.

Together, these conditions create a psychologically safe space in which, as Rogers put it: “In this climate you can permit your real self to emerge, and to express itself in varied and novel formings as it relates itself to the world. This is a basic fostering of creativity.”

Psychological Safety Then and Now

Our understanding of psychological safety – both the definition we use and the way we apply it – has evolved since Rogers’ early work. Yet reading it now, we see a great deal of similarity between what we do and why we do it, and this early attempt to consider how we might foster the conditions for psychological safety.

What’s largely missing from Rogers’ writing, and what we now know to be crucial, are the structural elements: the role of inequalities, hierarchies, power gradients, and group dynamics in shaping how safe people feel. But that absence is understandable and unsurprising. Rogers was working within a very specific context – the one-to-one relationship between therapist and client. It was only later that psychological safety began to be explored as a group phenomenon, and as something we could actively cultivate within teams, organisations and systems.

And yet, when it comes to why we work on psychological safety, there’s significant overlap. Rogers spoke of “constructive creativity”, and today, we often talk about innovation as one of the key benefits of a psychologically safe environment. Innovation, which we can define as “the creating and use of new ideas and methods” would clearly align with what Rogers’ calls “constructive creativity”. 

A Human-Centred Approach

But there’s also something deeper. Rogers’ humanistic, person-centred approach reminds us to value people – their lives, their perspectives and their lived experiences. That connection is still at the heart of the work. We know that the greatest ‘why’ behind psychological safety is simply this: because ensuring people feel safe to voice their ideas, concerns and questions is the right thing to do.

Rogers is perhaps best known for his therapeutic work, where he developed a person-centred approach to psychotherapy. Much of that approach is about encouraging self-awareness and reflexivity – helping people move from unhelpful patterns of behaviour toward ways of being that are more aligned with their values and intentions.

When we work with teams and organisations, the context is different, but some of the aims are strikingly similar. Much of what we do involves building awareness of how certain behaviours land, and helping each other to become more thoughtful and more intentional in how we show up and respond.

Rogers’ three processes for fostering psychological safety still resonate: they speak to fundamentally valuing the people we work with, favouring empathy over judgement, and seeking to understand the world through their lens. In many ways, his thinking foreshadowed ideas like the Local Rationality Principle – the commitment to assume the best of others, and try to stand in their shoes, rather than judging them from some superior vantage point. 

What’s perhaps most striking then, isn’t how ahead of his time Rogers was, but how long it has taken us to bring this kind of deep, human understanding into the world of work. His reflections on psychological safety were deeply rooted in a belief in people’s capacity to grow and create when they feel safe, valued, and understood. As we continue the work of fostering psychological safety in teams and organisations, we’re drawing on a much stronger, older legacy – one that reminds us at a very human level – what people need in order to thrive.

Further Reading:

Carl Roger’s paper: Towards a Theory of Creativity (1954)

Why Foster Psychological Safety? 

The Local Rationality Principle

Reducing Power Gradients

Psychological Safety in Practice

Teaching isn’t just technical

This is a great piece by Claire Harley reflecting on the importance of the emotional, social and political dimensions of CPD in teaching: “Where CPD treats teaching as technical, this can negatively impact culture. Instead, effective CPD considers teacher’s perceptions and is intentionally designed to foster trust, emotional safety and honest reflection on practice.” It also makes the crucial point that we know all too well “Being transparent about your views and being open to improving your practice is dependent on a culture of psychological safety in schools.“

Black Maternity Matters

Thanks to Ben Newton at Health Innovation West of England for sharing this report with us. Ben, along with Genevieve Riley and Petronella Downing used our Psych Safety toolkit and resources to help surface and address racial disparities and improve maternity outcomes for Black and racially minoritised women and birthers in the UK. Participants initially overestimated their cultural competence, but post-training evaluations revealed significant improvements in self-awareness, knowledge, and skills related to anti-racist practice. The training notably enhanced psychological safety, capability, motivation, and practical ability to implement anti-racist actions, although structural and organisational barriers remained significant obstacles. 

Barriers and facilitators of psychological safety in UK healthcare

Thanks to Jo Whitehouse for sharing this poster of her literature review examining psychological safety within the UK healthcare workforce. Jo highlights the need for more diversity in psychological safety research, notably in gender, ethnicity, disability, and age representation.