psychological safety in ti is a fundamental human need, like food and water. It enables us to live, learn, and contribute fully at work and is the precursor to high levels of productivity, quality, and innovation. Research across a variety of workplace settings, from medical teams in hospitals to software development teams in Big Tech companies, has consistently shown that the presence of psychological safety is one of the most powerful predictors of team success.
In fact, studies of dozens of organizational settings—including the highest performing companies in the world—show that creating an environment where people feel free to speak up, be open and honest, and take risks leads to greater creativity, higher levels of engagement, more collaboration, better quality, more innovation, and improved overall outcomes. In a world where employee satisfaction is the new competitive advantage, leaders need to prioritize creating a culture of psychological safety.
Building Trust and Innovation: How Psychological Safety Transforms IT Environments
Leaders can cultivate psychological safety in a number of ways. They can encourage employees to spend time thinking through their thoughts before speaking up, and they can make it clear that they value the honesty of those who are willing to express themselves in a vulnerable manner—recognizing the courage it takes to do so.
They can also use non-stigmatizing language to discuss mental health in the workplace and expand training on diversity, inclusion, and neurodiversity. Finally, they can create a sense of inclusion by inviting diverse talent into the organization. This satisfies the first stage of inclusion safety, in which people are welcomed into a team as their authentic selves. The next stage is learning safety, in which people are encouraged to ask questions and even make mistakes as they learn.