How to Cultivate Psychological Safety, and Why it Matters

An Interview with Amy Edmondson?

I’ve long believed our power as leaders comes not from titles or spots on an org chart, but through our ability to inspire possibilities in those around us. I'm always looking for ways to improve as a leader and empower our teams at Novartis, and I believe company culture is one of the most important factors in driving innovation and performance.

Amid the ongoing uncertainty the pandemic has created, it’s more important than ever to create an environment in which associates feel unbossed to speak their minds and make an impact. That trust and freedom—with accountability—can set a company apart.

To learn more, I recently sat down virtually with Amy Edmondson, the Novartis professor at Harvard Business School and a luminary in the world of business and thinking about how to make organizations run better. Below is a transcript of our conversation.

Vas

Thanks for being with us Amy, maybe you could start with the basics on psychological safety. What is it, and how do leaders enact it?

Amy

Well, psychological safety is a shared belief that an environment is safe for interpersonal risk. An interpersonal risk might be asking a seemingly simple question you think you should already know the answer to, sharing a half-baked idea, or speaking up about a concern. In a sense, it's a climate characterized by candor. And I want to be clear: that doesn't necessarily mean a comfortable environment. I'm not saying interpersonal risks become easy in a psychologically safe environment, but they become doable.

Vas

What behaviors do you typically see from leaders who create psychologically safe environments?

Amy

Leaders who create a psychologically safe environment are willing to challenge themselves and others to do more than we might think is possible. And they immediately and regularly call attention to the fact that it’s not easy. That means people will need to speak up, and be willing to take the risks required to innovate. It's a provision of support and challenge at the same time.

Vas

One of the things we observe at Novartis is when you create that psychologically safe space, teams innovate better. Is there data on how psychologically safe environments affect teams?

Amy

There are many studies, and the evidence is pretty clear that psychologically safe teams have higher levels of performance, higher levels of innovation. They have a greater willingness to speak up, more honesty about the things that go wrong, and right. There is clear evidence.

Vas

I often hear that when a leader creates a psychologically safe environment, they’re also, by nature, becoming more curious and deepening their growth mindset.

Amy

Exactly. In fact, curiosity is at the center! And I love your unbossed, curious, and inspired culture attributes. Those are beautiful features. I often lead with three stances that leaders must embrace to create psychological safety and promote innovation, and they are humility, curiosity, and empathy.

Humility is about recognizing, “I don't have all the answers.” Curiosity is that ever-present recognition that there's more to learn. And empathy is that ability to pause and recognize, when you're hearing bad news or something you don’t expect or like, that the messenger is a human being—and a positive reaction can keep things moving forward.

Vas

On our Novartis culture journey, many associates say the organization feels more human, and I feel like that encapsulates so much of what you just said.

Amy

I love that! Because we are all, by definition, fallible human beings. When we feel we can bring our fallible human self to work, we're more able to deliver excellence, maybe paradoxically.

Vas

Absolutely, you can break through those barriers. Are there behaviors leaders should watch out for? The things that disrupt psychological safety?

Amy

Absolutely. Behaviors like interrupting or immediately dismissing an idea. And those quick moments where you're interrupting, conveying “I already knew that,” saying “that's not helpful,” being dismissive. Those can easily extinguish peoples’ desire to contribute. You have to be very present and aware of the potential impact you have on others when you're in a leadership role.

Vas

I find that for me, meditation helps immensely as I work to stay present and grounded, and it has so many positive knock-on effects. I like this framework of asking if you’re listening to fix, listening to win, or listening to learn. And if you can listen to learn, that already gets you in a better mindset.

Amy

I love that. There’s listening that really is curious, right? Asking yourself, “What can I learn here?” Or, “How will this enrich what we know and can do together?” That’s quite rare, and it's worth pointing out.

I also don't want to imply that every healthy workplace is full of psychological safety, that it’s the norm. In fact, it's quite extraordinary to have the highest levels of candor and engagement. It's the very rareness of it that makes it such a profound advantage. When you can get your leaders to be that present, to be those amazing listeners, you then have the ability to actually use all the remarkable talent you've hired.

Vas

I love that, Amy. That hits with something we try to emphasize to our leaders: that psychological safety—and unbossed leadership—is a competitive advantage. Something we often hear back is that it erodes competitiveness or prioritizes niceness over competitiveness, that it’s a “soft” approach to business. What are your thoughts?

Amy

I'm not a fan of being mean, of course. But being nice, especially in the workplace, is often code for not being candid. This is not about being nice. It's about being thoughtful and brave and willing to tell the truth, while also recognizing that your truth might not be everyone else’s truth.

Vas

I think self-awareness plays directly into that, because if you're not a self-aware leader, you can’t take any of the other steps you need.

Amy

Absolutely.

Vas

Now Amy, the pandemic has had different psychological effects on people and teams. Has COVID-19 impacted the psychological safety of teams when they work remotely? What have you seen?

Amy

I think overall psychological safety has taken a hit with remote work. It's harder for people to lean in and say what they're thinking, it's harder to read each other's body language, interest, and curiosity.

At the same time, we have more exposure to each other’s personal challenges. We see each other's homes and kids, doorbells are ringing, and that makes vulnerability more real, more present, more necessary.

Vas

In a sense, we've all become a bit more human.