Newsletter No. 119

Quick Reads

quick read — Emotional intelligence

The Four Stages of Psychological Safety in the Workplace

In today’s evolving workplace, fostering psychological safety is crucial for teams to thrive. But psychological safety isn’t a one-size-fits-all concept. It progresses through stages, each building on the one before it. By understanding these stages, leaders and organizations can create environments where employees feel safe, empowered, and encouraged to contribute fully.

The concept of psychological safety was popularized by Harvard professor Amy Edmondson, who described it as a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. More recently, Dr. Timothy R. Clark expanded this idea, breaking it down into four progressive stages: Inclusion Safety, Learner Safety, Contributor Safety, and Challenger Safety. Each stage represents a deepening level of safety, and together, they form a foundation for a healthy, innovative, and productive workplace.