Psychological Safety

Definition: A shared belief within a group or team that it is safe to take interpersonal risks, such as asking questions, admitting mistakes, or suggesting new ideas, without fear of ridicule, punishment, or rejection.

Key Points:

• Coined by Amy Edmondson in organizational behavior research.
• Enables open communication, innovation, and learning.
• Distinct from comfort—teams can have high expectations and accountability while still maintaining psychological safety.

Example:
In a psychologically safe team, a member can say “I don’t understand this” without worrying about negative judgment.