Governance & Policy
Psychological Safety
Definition
Psychological safety is a shared belief, within a team or organisation, that the environment is safe for interpersonal risk-taking — asking questions, raising concerns, admitting errors and challenging the status quo without fear of embarrassment or reprisal. Developed by Harvard scholar Amy Edmondson, it is a demonstrated predictor of team learning, innovation and, critically, error reporting.
References
Source imported for editorial provenance.
This reference provides supporting context for how “Psychological Safety” is defined and used.
Overview
How it is used
The concept is used in organisational development, safety culture assessment, whistleblowing system design and human-capital metrics in ESG analysis.
Why it matters
Psychological safety is invisible in reports but determines whether an organisation learns; it is among the strongest cultural foundations of both safety and integrity.