In a word, yes. 

The importance of mental health and well-being is now being recognised in the workplace. Some would even argue it’s being respected. Though not universal in its reach, this new attitude is seeing employers investing in a more holistic approach to their people’s well-being. 

Such a change is exciting, and clearly linked to fostering greater psychological safety in workplaces. However, one area that is only recently gaining traction? The influence of attachment styles on leaders in the workplace. 

The influence of attachment theory in the world of psychology is huge; it’s one of the most influential theories in the field and widely applied to our individual and personal lives. This is because it helps us to better understand how our early life experiences impact how we form relationships for the rest of our lives.

So, just consider this:

• Attachment styles impact how we relate to those around us.
• We spend a large amount of our time, at work, relating to those around us.
• How we relate to those around us, at work, is directly influenced by feelings of psychological safety.

What is Attachment Theory? 

Attachment theory, which was first developed by John Bowlby, looks at what influence our first relationships have on how we understand the world as we get older. As soon as we are born, we rely upon our primary caregivers for food, safety and warmth. In a simplistic sense, if our needs are met well we usually form a secure bond with said caregiver, whereas if they are not met, we form an insecure bond. 

“The propensity to make strong emotional bonds to particular individuals [is] a basic component of human nature”

John Bowlby

Below is a brief breakdown of attachment types, which is necessary knowledge before exploring how they may relate to psychological safety and the workplace. However, a disclaimer: there is a huge amount of information out there on this topic that I could only dream of effectively summarising in the few words necessary for this article – so, I’ll recommend some useful resources at the end.

What are the main types of attachment?

1. Secure attachment

People who are securely attached generally got their needs met in early life. As a result, they tend to find navigating interpersonal relationships and forming bonds with various people easier than those who have an insecure attachment style.

2. Insecure Attachment

Insecure attachment generally develops as a result of needs not being met in early life. It’s commonly divided into three types: anxious, avoidant and disorganized.

Anxious attachment style

The anxious (also often referred to as “preoccupied”) style is associated with worrying. They may have low self-esteem and suffer from overthinking what they say and do.

Avoidant attachment style

The avoidant (also often referred to as “dismissive”) style is associated with a surface level control. They may appear confident and independent, but this comes from difficult in expressing deeper emotions or thoughts.

Disorganised attachment style

The disorganised style has been referred to as a “mix” of the previous two. People who are categorised as disorganized may show behavioural patterns associated with both, essentially switching between the two. So, for example, this can make a person difficult to rely on, or predict how they may respond.

An important note before we continue: these are categories that attempt to summarise common patterns of behaviour, thoughts and feelings found in people – depending on their early life experiences. Though useful as a framework, it’s also important to appreciate that one person can display attributes from multiple attachment styles and that it is essentially impossible to categorise human beings into such groups, as we are so complex. Also, recent literature shows us how people’s attachment styles are not “set in stone”, but rather, that it is possible for them to change over time.

Leaders vs Employees

Leaders and team members generally have different responsibilities at work. The demands put on them, especially when it comes to interpersonal relationships, is somewhat different. Therefore, it helps us to distinguish between them when it comes to the impact attachment styles can have on them and psychological safety. In this article, we are focusing solely on leaders and their attachment styles.

How do attachment styles impact leaders in the workplace?

Secure attachment

Generally speaking, people with secure attachment styles seem to be good leaders. They care about their employees well-being and development, feel prompted to offer feedback and are likely the best “all-round” attachment style for a leader.

Anxious attachment

Leaders with an anxious attachment style offer a different style of leadership. Firstly, they are less likely to develop into leaders, and if they do, they are less likely to give team members unfavourable feedback that may cause a negative reaction. Lastly, due to their focus on meeting their own unmet needs, seem to have less resources left to focus on their teams needs.

What’s the flip-side?

Well, anxiously attached people are generally high performers and consistently look for ways to improve. If given the right space, for example in a 1:1, they will be able to identify their own areas of improvement quickly.

Avoidant attachment

Leaders with an avoidant attachment style are different once again. They may be viewed as less available, take the leadership role as their chance to demonstrate their own independence and when they are forced to work closely with others, they may encounter conflict more often,

What’s the flip side?

Well, avoidant attached people are quick to act in times of danger, focus on the task at hand (i.e. result-oriented) and work well independently.

Disorganized attachment

Leaders with a disorganized attachment style may be a combination of the anxious and avoidant styles. Therefore, it may be difficult to predict how they will lead in any particular moment.

What does this mean for psychological safety?

Attachment styles appear to have a direct influence on leadership styles and therefore potential influence on psychological safety.

For example:

You may have a anxious-attached leader that always gives you positive feedback but never highlights areas of improvement. So, you never really experience conflict, but you also don’t engage in healthy disagreements or discussions, so personal development may be slow. The lack of space for healthy dis(agreements) is a sign for low feelings of psychological safety.

You may have an avoidant-attached leader that is seemingly never available but is very good at their job and being focused on the work. So, you know you can rely on them to fix your task-related problem, but you do not get the chance to develop any interpersonal bonds in a 1:1, for example. Feelings of team trust and cohesion directly influence how people feel about expressing themselves, speaking up and sharing ideas – not feeling safe to do this is a sign for low feelings of psychological safety.

And you may have a disorganized-attached leader, who seemingly switches between both anxious and avoidant traits. So, you never really know what kind of leader you will get. Not feeling able to predict how your leader will react to you may also link to not feeling safe to take risks, which is also a sign of low psychological safety.

A reminder of what psychological safety means:

“The belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes, and that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking”.

Amy Edmondson, 1999

So, if you don’t feel:

• Safe to ask a question
• Safe to raise a concern
• Safe to share your ideas
• Safe to make mistakes
• Like you know what to deliver
• Like you know how to deliver
• Like you can trust your leader

Then how can you feel psychologically safe?

A final note

Attachment theory provides us with generalized information and indicators of how people may act and think. However, it’s important to remember a few things here:

1. Individuals are not their labels.
2. Attachment styles can change over time.
3. Uniqueness can be an advantage.
4. A good leader should be based on these core skills, not their attachment style.
5. Any psychologically safe workplace is one that’s safe for all (that includes all attachment styles).

So, I suggest that it may be more useful to use such knowledge around attachment styles to deepen our understanding of our team and leaders, to show empathy for our differences and ultimately, to celebrate our diversity.

Attachment specific resources

1. Verywellmind’s profile on John Bowlby and his attachment theory.
2. Verywellmind’s profile on Mary Ainsworth and her work on attachment theory.
3. The Personal Development School on YouTube.
4. The Attachment Project’s blog.
5. NSPCC article.
6. Opie et al. (2022): Early childhood attachment stability and change: a meta-analysis.

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352250X15000627
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053482223000013
3. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/INFORMIT.523896973889840
4. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2007-13393-009
5. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1998-00030-014
6. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Fernando-Molero/publication/258526469_The_Influence_of_Leadership_Style_on_Subordinates%27_Attachment_to_the_Leader/links/00b7d52316adb847c0000000/The-Influence-of-Leadership-Style-on-Subordinates-Attachment-to-the-Leader.pdf
7. https://adultattachment.faculty.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2015/09/Davidovitz_2007_Leaders-as-Attachment-Figures.pdf
8. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269837527_Attachment_to_groups_Theory_and_management