What does Workplace Psychological Safety Mean to you?

What is Workplace Psychological Safety? 

The phrase psychological safety was first coined in 1954 by humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers. For Rogers, safety meant an environment of unconditional worth — free from judgment, where creativity and authentic growth could flourish.

Decades later, Amy Edmondson reframed psychological safety for the workplace in the 1990s. In 1999, she published her seminal paper “Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams” in the journal Administrative Science Quarterly. This was the first time psychological safety was formally defined in the workplace context as “a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.”

Her research showed that teams with high psychological safety were more willing to admit mistakes, ask questions, and share ideas — leading to stronger learning and performance outcomes.

So, while Carl Rogers coined the phrase in 1954 in a therapeutic context, Edmondson reframed and introduced it into organizational life in 1999, making it a cornerstone of modern team effectiveness.

Her groundbreaking research revealed that the most effective teams weren’t those making fewer mistakes, but those willing to talk openly about them. Psychological safety became the belief that one can speak up with ideas, concerns, or errors without fear of punishment.

Building on this, Timothy R. Clark introduced the Four Stages of Psychological Safety:

1. Inclusion Safety – feeling accepted

2. Learner Safety – freedom to grow

3. Contributor Safety – confidence to add value

4. Challenger Safety – courage to question the status quo

These stages expanded Edmondson’s work into a developmental framework for teams and leaders.

Today, workplace psychological safety continues to evolve. My own transformative Workplace Wellbeing and Safety Strategy Framework begins with a journey within — cultivating inner awareness, resilience, and dignity — so that individuals can navigate external environments with clarity and strength. It integrates psychological safety into a systemic framework of wellbeing and safety. This approach moves beyond team dynamics to embed safety into leadership, and policy, positioning psychological safety not only as a performance driver, but as a human right.

🔑 Key takeaway:

• Rogers → individual growth

• Edmondson → team learning

• Clark → developmental stages

• Carmody → Wellbeing and Safety Strategy Framework January 2025.

From therapy rooms to boardrooms, psychological safety has become a cornerstone of innovation, inclusion, and resilience. Its future lies in strategies that honor both human dignity and organizational success — beginning with the inner journey that empowers us to transform the external world.