Psychological safety is a shared belief held by members of a team that their work environment is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. It is a foundational group dynamic used to systematically foster open communication, innovation, and learning without the fear of negative consequences to one’s self-image, status, or career. It helps teams achieve high-level collaboration where ideas and mistakes can be discussed openly. Employees who feel psychologically safe can and will contribute their authentic perspectives.
The role of psychological safety in performance management
Psychological safety is a natural result of a workplace culture that prioritizes trust, mutual respect, and transparent feedback. Since successful performance management involves building and maintaining high levels of engagement and performance, the cultivation and measurement of levels of psychological safety is fundamental, and has far-reaching impact.
Continuous performance management is notably characterized by frequent, honest feedback. Psychological safety can help make this type of interaction successful by providing employees with:
- Freedom to voice ideas (challenging the status quo without repercussions).
- Permission to fail (viewing mistakes as data points for collective growth).