Psychological safety and trust

Background

In the winter of 2023-24, in my role as Learning Partner for the project, I interviewed 11 of the 18 ‘core team’ members of Belong in Plymouth. A common theme was psychological safety and trust. Psychological safety was described as both a necessity and a challenge in working effectively as a core team. A recurring theme was the interplay between psychological safety and authenticity. One respondent mentioned that they felt “ready to be more authentic,” including “modelling…vulnerability,” which was welcomed by the core team. A non-hierarchical approach – “no one was my boss” – was also conducive to people feeling increased psychological safety.

Contrasting experiences

The core team ‘space’ was experienced as psychologically safe by some, and less so by others. Respondents stated positively that, “I think people feel comfortable with the fact that in this space, they can say and question and reflect on things that maybe feels different to them, because they're not able to do those things where they come from organisationally, so that kind of is a manifestation of psychological safety, where you can ask questions take risks without fear, fear of retribution essentially” and “…it felt like my voice had a lot of freedom to be to come out but also, I could really listen to other people and they were also being honest. And it just felt, I felt all this different…and so that was quite fundamental for me.”

In contrast, another stated that, while there was talk of “psychological safety,” it was “not the same for everyone”; “I found some quite tricky, like gendered stuff around who's speaking, who's not, who's given space, who's not.” This reveals a disparity in how psychological safety is experienced, suggesting that while some may feel secure, others may not, pointing to the need for more inclusive practices and highlighting the importance of ensuring that psychological safety is not only about individual comfort but also about addressing systemic issues that may inhibit certain groups from feeling safe, requiring “more intentionality about ensuring people get to be heard, not just passively, but actively.”