The concept of psychological safety has been around a long time. It refers to the belief that you can take risks, share your ideas and express yourself without fear of negative consequences or repercussions. Ultimately, when people feel psychologically safe, they feel open to being their authentic self creating a culture of trust, transparency, safety and openness. This safety extends beyond physical safety (although essential for it to occur) and addresses the emotional and psychological well-being of students and educators. Psychological safety is the cornerstone of any thriving educational ecosystem. As with the majority of psychological concepts, psychological safety is built and influenced through multiple interconnected and interactive factors. Key characteristics that combine to provide a psychological safe environment which include the type of leadership approach taken, openness of communication, levels of trust, the wider culture, values and diversity of thought. This is essential for the consideration of learner experiences but the external environment before and after school plays its role too, particularly when psychological safety is not being consciously considered. In this blog we are exploring the concept of psychological safety and how this concept is realised or lacking within schools and educational institutions more widely and how it impacts growth and therefore performance.

I. What exactly is psychological safety?

Psychological safety can be viewed as both a state and a trait. In a state, it represents the moment-to-moment experience of feeling safe to observe or express oneself. When psychological safety becomes a trait, it's ingrained in the culture of the school, creating an ongoing environment of trust and support.

It is a delicate balance because it involves navigating 2 important concepts that can often be considered as polarised but the tension is essential for it to be effective:

1. Safety: the creation of an environment where individuals feel safe to take interpersonal risks, be themselves and express their thoughts and ideas without fear of negative consequences. This entails fostering a culture of trust, respect and non-judgement where individuals feel supported and accepted. The term safety implies protection from harm, exclusion or retribution.

2. Accountability: This means holding individuals responsible for their actions, performance and the impact of their behaviours on others. It involves creating a culture where individuals preferably take accountability for their own commitments, contribute to team goals and maintain professional standards. But as humans, governance of this from others remains important, holding standards up to values, principles and boundaries that align with the purpose of the organisation.

This balance is important because extreme emphasis on either can lead to undesirable outcomes and go against psychological safety.

• Over-emphasis on safety: if this becomes the sole focus without appropriate accountability, it may lead to complacency. Individuals may hesitate to provide constructive feedback, challenge or hold themselves and others accountable which then hinders productivity, innovation and growth.

• Over-emphasis on accountability: individuals may feel hesitant to share their ideas, admit mistakes, or take risks. Fear of punishment or judgement can stifle creativity, open communication, and trust, leading to a culture of silence, low morale, and limited engagement.

Finding the right balance between safety and accountability requires leaders and organisations to create an environment that supports both aspects but the benefits of successfully living it are huge. A climate of psychological safety serves as the initial step toward creating a culture of inclusion and support in schools but in our experience starts with the leadership understanding themselves and how their lens plays a crucial part in maintaining the balance.

There are three prominent theories and frameworks that contribute to our understanding of psychological safety:

Self-determination theory (SDT) (Ryan & Deci, 2000):

This theory is closely entwined with psychological safety. It emphasises the importance of meeting an individual's basic psychological needs through creating autonomy, competence and relatedness across tasks, events and the environment and psychological safety plays an important role in supporting these needs. With psychological safety individuals experience a sense of autonomy through the freedom to express themselves, share ideas, and make decisions without fear of negative consequences; competence is fostered through a supportive culture that encourages growth, learning, and skill development; and relatedness is promoted through the building of positive social connections, trust, and collaboration, which are essential for meeting the need for connection and belonging. 

SDT further stresses the importance of intrinsic motivation (the internal drive to engage in activities that are inherently enjoyable, interesting, or aligned with personal values). Psychological safety enhances intrinsic motivation by creating an environment where individuals feel comfortable and supported in pursuing their interests, taking risks, and expressing their authentic selves. This leads to further benefits of growth and well-being and optimal functioning. 

Social Exchange Theory (SET) (Blau, 1964):

SET focuses on the social relationships and interactions between people within an organisation. It suggests that individuals assess the costs and benefits of a relationship during a social exchange and whether they are positive or negative. The theory puts forward that when people perceive a positive social exchange where they feel valued, respected and supported they are more likely to experience psychological safety and engage in positive behaviours such as trust, cooperation and organisational commitment.

Cognitive Appraisal Theory (Lazarus, 1991):

This theory explores how individuals evaluate and interpret their experiences in the context of stress and coping. Lazarus proposes that individuals engage in cognitive appraisals of their environment to assess potential threats and resources. Within the context of psychological safety, individuals appraise their social and work environment to determine whether it is safe, supportive and conducive to expressing their thoughts and ideas without fear of negative consequences. If it is safe, their pre-frontal lobe is allowed to switch on and our evolved ‘smart thinking’ and optimal physiological state is activated. If there is risk, it is shut down and our mammalian brain takes over, opting for reactive decision making based on fight, flight or freeze responses. I am sure we can each consider a time in which all four states have been present.

Collectively these theories encompass the different processes and factors that may be considered while designing and building psychological safety within an organisation’s culture. The significance of supportive environments, positive social relationships and the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, whilst maintaining consistent and clear boundaries, preferably together, is key to fostering psychological safety to create productive and flourishing individuals. 

II. When psychological safety is lacking

On the flip-side, feelings of psychologically insecurity can lead to several issues which impact not only leadership but staff and learners across all levels. This insecurity seeps out into the culture and wider organisation and manifests through several behaviours which reinforce a toxic cycle. An overarching consequence of psychological insecurity is job dissatisfaction which can occur due to fear of judgement, criticism, and reprisal which creates a cycle of stress, reduced autonomy, and therefore reduced morale and engagement. With this, staff may feel decreased motivation and fear innovation, seeking alternative employment with a healthy culture of trust. This ultimately results in high staff turnover, staff burnout and lack of growth impacting the successful functioning of an organisation.

Within education more specifically, staff experiences of psychological insecurity is mirrored by students impacting both their learning experience and wider outcomes. For example, students may have reduced overall academic performance due to reduced quality of teaching and teacher support, student motivation and engagement may also be hampered. Students may not be willing to participate or even attend, share their ideas or take academic risks if they do not feel safe to do so which ultimately diminishes their learning opportunities. 

More generally, where schools do not foster psychological safety, a negative climate takes its place. Students may experience heightened stress, anxiety, fear or bullying due to the lack of support, inclusion and modelling of such behaviours and values; this can adversely affect their social and emotional wellbeing. This is an essential consideration in todays society with ever more data and insights into student mental health and wellbeing and the factors that impact it. 

Creating a psychologically safe culture however, does not just happen sporadically through individual practice, leaders have a responsibility to build this culture across their organisation. It takes collaboration, strategy, short and long-term planning and buy-in from key stakeholders. It is important here to note that Leaders themselves do not necessarily have the psychologically safe base from which to build which is often overlooked and can ripple across the organisation leaving a stagnant or declining culture. There are many pressures on a school that are not even present in the people that work there.

From a leadership perspective, a lack of psychological safety can impact in several ways. For example leaders may feel insecure about their decision making which can cause them to hesitate or constantly seek validation; this can undermine their leadership effectiveness and their teams trust in their abilities. Insecurity may also cause leaders to micro-manage due to anxiety and play it safe in decision making. This is not necessarily due to their lack of awareness of the capabilities of their staff or their own leadership knowledge and skills but an underlying and consuming fear of not being in control and anxiety of what is to come, potentially fuelling a feeling of imposter syndrome (see our previous blogs). This need to be involved in everything or unable to delegate effectively restricts staff growth, succession and engagement- all components of change management. This fear could also appear in risk-aversion and a lack of willingness to explore new ideas and innovations or defensiveness all of which limit growth and progress of the whole community and the potential of its stakeholders.

Characteristics of the behaviours described above can create a lack of transparency and trust leading to a culture of secrecy and speculation. Ultimately where individuals do not feel psychologically safe, meaningful and authentic relationships cannot be built and as a result the autonomy, creativity, productivity and cohesion of their staff and team is hampered.

III. Fostering psychological safety through leadership

Addressing any of the above requires a conscious effort to build self-awareness, development of physiological and emotional intelligence and openness to self-development. A focus on these areas empowers leaders to know themselves better and understand their own values, behaviours, pain points and strengths which better position them to be responsive and more authentically build strong relationships based on trust and mutual respect with an open dialogue. In order to create this culture, leaders must not only provide their employees with the support they need through resources, training and coaching but also model the values and attributes they wish to be present within their organisation, gain alignment with values and communicate a clear vision which is inspiring and relatable to their staff and creates a sense of belonging and purpose amongst staff.

Through leading by example leaders set the tone for psychological safety - by showing that it is safe to take risks and learn from mistakes. Through vulnerability and openness leaders are modelling the culture to staff. This creates opportunities and shows the value of growth and development encouraging employees to take risks, contribute innovatively and feel psychological safe in the process.

By prioritising psychological safety in school leadership, educators and staff members are more likely to feel empowered, motivated, and committed to their work. This, in turn, positively impacts the learning environment and promotes the overall well-being and success of both staff and students.

IV. Where do leaders begin when psychological safety lacks?

Rebuilding psychological safety in schools is crucial for developing a supportive and inclusive learning environment. The hardest step is the first, openly acknowledging the existing issues; but it sets the foundation for positive change and shows commitment to addressing the concerns. Diagnostics are useful for this, as our external eyes on the culture. From then, needs and perspectives of others can be assessed and explored which informs strategy and goals and guides the way forward for communication, new and clear expectations and norms that are built in to professional development and practices to make them cultural habits. An essential part of this cycle is actively and consistently seeking feedback and acting on this feedback which further promotes trust and exemplifies open communication across the organisation and fosters a culture of respect and accountability. Celebrating this progress through appreciation further reinforces the effort to develop one’s capacity and reinforces that permanence of change.

Facilitating recovery has numerous benefits for both the individual and the organisation such as through enhanced creativity and innovation, improved learning and growth, well-being enhancement,  problem solving and decision making. When individuals feel safe to express their concerns and offer different perspectives, it leads to seen results through more robust discussions, diverse insights, and better-informed decisions, resilience and adaptability, retention and organisational reputation.

Leadership coaching and team journies can offer multiple benefits to this process. Not only does it provide a safe and confidential space for leaders to reflect on their own thoughts, emotions and behaviours; this introspection offers a deeper understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, and how their actions impact others. In team journeys we have seen this self-awareness allow leaders to recognise any of their own insecurities or fears that may be hindering psychological safety and work on addressing them. By understanding and managing their own emotions, leaders can better respond to challenges with empathy, unite and collaborate effectively with their teams and create a culture of trust and respect.

The benefits of psychological safety are widely documented and extend across individual, team, the organisation and beyond! It is not a luxury but a necessity in our schools. It shapes traits, climates, and cultures, affecting students' and educators' connection, motivation, wellbeing, meaning, pride, memory, and their overall habits of mind. By recognising its importance and actively working to nurture an environment of safety, our schools can pave the way for a brighter educational future, one where every individual feels valued, heard, and supported on their learning and growth journey far beyond it. We know this because we live this and see the results from running our team journeys:

“Understanding my values system and therefore appreciating those of others and what they consider important has helped us to reflect on the culture we want to have within the school. As a leadership team we have reflected on the role we play as leaders, it has stimulated change and helped us to shift to a different cultural model which embraces all staffing levels, taking account of their motivations”. (Glass House Leadership Lab Client, 2023)

If you are interested in exploring cutting edge coaching opportunities further for either yourself or your team and the benefits it can offer more widely for your organisation, we would be delighted to discuss options further. Please book a discovery call or contact us at info@glasshouselab.com.

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References:

Blau, P. M. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. New York: Wiley

Lazarus, R. S. (1991). Emotion and adaptation. Oxford University Press.

Ryan, R. M. & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68 - 78