Psychological Safety
A shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking, speaking up, admitting mistakes, and asking questions without fear of punishment. Key to high-performing teams.
Psychological safety (Edmondson, 1999) is the #1 predictor of team performance according to Google's Project Aristotle (2015). Teams with psychological safety innovate more, learn from failures faster, and retain talent longer.
Signs of psychological safety: people ask questions without fear, mistakes are treated as learning opportunities, dissent is welcomed, and vulnerability is not punished. Signs of its absence: silence in meetings, blame culture, people only sharing good news, and high turnover.
For neurodivergent employees, psychological safety is critical, it determines whether they can unmask, request accommodations, and bring their authentic cognitive style to work. Teams with psychological safety accommodate neurodivergent members naturally.