Psychological Safety

The shared belief that a team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking, that members can admit ignorance, ask questions, voice concerns, and challenge direction without fear of embarrassment or punishment. Coined and defined by Amy Edmondson (1999); identified by Google's Project Aristotle as the top differentiator of effective teams. It is independent of standards; the goal is safety and high standards both high.

A shared team belief, defined by organizational behavior scholar Amy Edmondson in 1999 research, that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking: raising a concern, admitting a mistake, or asking a basic question will not be held against the person who does it.

The shared belief that one can speak up, admit mistakes, and take interpersonal risks without punishment; the strongest predictor of team effectiveness (Edmondson; Google Project Aristotle), primarily built or destroyed by leader empathy.

The shared belief that a team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking (Edmondson, 1999; 2018); the condition under which people can hear hard feedback and learn from it rather than defending against it.

The felt permission to raise an objection, admit a mistake, or flag a risk without fear of career penalty. The switch that turns team diversity from a fact on the roster into a function in the product, because a perspective that is present but unsafe to voice never reaches the decision.