Cited by 2,593Team Dynamics and PerformanceJob Satisfaction and Organizational BehaviorOrganizational Learning and Leadership

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Psychological Safety: The History, Renaissance, and Future of an Interpersonal Construct

Edmondson, Amy C., Lei, Zhike·2014·Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior

DOI 10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091305

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Abstract

Psychological safety describes people’s perceptions of the consequences of taking interpersonal risks in a particular context such as a workplace. First explored by pioneering organizational scholars in the 1960s, psychological safety experienced a renaissance starting in the 1990s and continuing to the present. Organizational research has identified psychological safety as a critical factor in understanding phenomena such as voice, teamwork, team learning, and organizational learning. A growing body of conceptual and empirical work has focused on understanding the nature of psychological safety, identifying factors that contribute to it, and examining its implications for individuals, teams, and organizations. In this article, we review and integrate this literature and suggest directions for future research. We first briefly review the early history of psychological safety research and then examine contemporary research at the individual, group, and organizational levels of analysis. We assess what has been learned and discuss suggestions for future theoretical development and methodological approaches for organizational behavior research on this important interpersonal construct.

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“Studies in psychological safety (Edmondson 1999; Edmondson & Lei 2014) monitor general trust, and research in social capital (Leana & Pil 2006) is related to general trust but distinguished by focusing more on communication and collaboration in relations.”

Authors: Edmondson, A. C., & Lei, Z.
Affiliations: Harvard University (US)
European School of Management and Technology (DE)
ORCID: Edmondson, Amy C.
Lei, Zhike
Venue: Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior
Publisher: Annual Reviews
Published: 2014-03-21
Volume: 1
Issue: 1
Pages: 23-43
ISSN: 2327-0608 (ISSN-L)
2327-0616
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091305
OpenAlex: W2116544216
Semantic Scholar: 39c1a2ff3ad746c8c9d4b630a60633ee2aeb4af2
Cited by: 2,577
References: 65
Citations by year: 2026: 481 · 2025: 463 · 2024: 290 · 2023: 271 · 2022: 286 · 2021: 248 · 2020: 214 · 2019: 123 · 2018: 67 · 2017: 58 · 2016: 48 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 2
FWCI: 7.72
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior (publishedVersion)
Funders: Harvard Business School
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Team Dynamics and Performance
Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior
Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Organizational Learning and Leadership
Keywords: psychological safety, interpersonal risk, workplace safety climate, voice, teamwork, team learning, organizational learning, organizational behavior theory, future research directions

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Psychological Safety: The History, Renaissance, and Future of an Interpersonal Construct

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