Co-creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace

Welcome to the Co-creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace web site. The primary goal of this project is to introduce directors and seniors leaders to the importance of creating social environments in the workplace that infuse individuals and teams with a sense of psychological safety - that they can bring their best selves to a workplace characterized by an atmosphere of mutual respect and candour. The tools and interventions in this resource can be used by leaders when working with teams, or as a tool for personal self-awareness and growth. You will find concrete strategies and tips that you, as a leader can implement to enhance your self-awareness and personal growth.

Efforts to realize psychological safety in the workplace depend on the extensive work and the solid foundation that has been done at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, and in other organizations in equity and anti-oppression work. Addressing the phenomenon of psychological safety is not possible unless the organization has effectively examined and addressed more poignant forms of oppression in the social environment such as racism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of discrimination. These more overt forms of oppression and discrimination will not be the focus of this resource.

The two primary influences on this project have been Guarding Minds@Work, a project co-developed by Martin Shain and his colleagues Joti Samra, Merv Gilbert, Dan Bilsker and Elliot Goldner at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, and the seminal work on this topic by Amy C. Edmondson, a professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School in Boston. We have also drawn on current literature on psychological safety from journals, websites and books. This involved scanning more than 600 citations from the Medline, PsychInfo and CINAHL databases, and then culling these down to 118 journal references, listed in our literature survey conducted in January and February 2010.

We consider this project to be a work-in-progress and as such, we value and welcome your feedback, comments and any contributions that can improve this resource in any way!