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.