The DOI matches its Crossref record; 65 of the 65 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Psychological Safety: The History, Renaissance, and Future of an Interpersonal Construct
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.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Previous research has identified psychological safety as a significant antecedent to employee voice behavior and error reporting in organizations (Appelbaum et al., 2016; Edmondson & Lei, 2014; O'Donovan & McAuliffe, 2020; Pfeiffer, Manser, & Wehner, 2010).”
From Psychological Safety as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Inclusive Leadership and Nurse Voice Behaviors and Error Reporting (2021) · cites this paper as Edmondson & Lei, 2014
Citations
Cites
Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams
Edmondson, A. (1999) · Administrative Science Quarterly · doi:10.2307/2666999 · Cited by 12,026
Self-citationPSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT AND DISENGAGEMENT AT WORK.
Kahn, W. A. (1990) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.2307/256287 · Cited by 10,975
Methodological fit in management field research
Edmondson, A. C., & McManus, S. E. (2007) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.2007.26586086 · Cited by 3,493
Self-citationHELPING AND VOICE EXTRA-ROLE BEHAVIORS: EVIDENCE OF CONSTRUCT AND PREDICTIVE VALIDITY.
Van Dyne, L., & LePine, J. A. (1998) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.2307/256902 · Cited by 3,178
Nembhard, I. M., & Edmondson, A. C. (2006) · Journal of Organizational Behavior · doi:10.1002/job.413 · Cited by 2,385
Self-citationLeadership Behavior and Employee Voice: Is the Door Really Open?
Detert, J. R., & Burris, E. R. (2007) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2007.26279183 · Cited by 2,250
Collins, C. J., & Smith, K. G. (2006) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2006.21794671 · Cited by 2,116
The dynamics of proactivity at work
Grant, A. M., & Ashford, S. J. (2008) · Research in Organizational Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.riob.2008.04.002 · Cited by 2,057
Disrupted Routines: Team Learning and New Technology Implementation in Hospitals
Edmondson, A. C., Bohmer, R. M., & Pisano, G. P. (2001) · Administrative Science Quarterly · doi:10.2307/3094828 · Cited by 1,729
Self-citationBaer, M., & Fresé, M. (2002) · Journal of Organizational Behavior · doi:10.1002/job.179 · Cited by 1,705
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- Gong Y, 2012, J. Manag., 38, 1611
- Schein EH, 1993, Sloan Manag. Rev., 34, 85
- Schein EH, 1965, Personal and Organizational Change Through Group Methods
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 2,501–2,593 of 2,593
Perspective-Taking in Software Engineering: A Study on its Relationship to Team Performance
Devathasan, K., Samaraweera, J., & Damian, D. (2026) · ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering: Companion Proceedings (ICSE-Companion) · doi:10.1145/3744916.3773196
“When team members do not feel safe in expressing differing opinions without fear of judgment or retaliation [26], PT becomes very difficult to practice.”
Herzig, T. F., Cornaro, L., & Wulf, T. (2026) · The International Journal of Management Education · doi:10.1016/j.ijme.2026.101535
Coetzee, M., & Leach, G. C. (2026) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su18189479
Building a Culture of Feedback and Learning in Multinational Military Institutions
Duralia, D. (2026) · Revista Academiei Forţelor Terestre · doi:10.2478/raft-2026-0027
“Research on psychological safety suggests that leadership behaviours such as active listening, humility, openness, and support foster trust and encourage participation in organisational learning (Edmondson & Lei, 2014).”
Literature Review and Emerging Gaps
Rosa, A., & Romeo, E. (2026) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/978-1-80686-145-320261002
Hartman, L. A., Lautenbach, G., CEG, et al. (2026) · Journal of Medical Ethics · doi:10.1136/jme-2026-111894
Sert, O., & Mert, İ. S. (2026) · International journal of organizational analysis · doi:10.1108/ijoa-03-2026-6703
School Leadership as Mentoring
Raptis, N., & Psyrras, N. (2026) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-9420-6.ch004
Bohlen, W. (2026) · Gruppe Interaktion Organisation Zeitschrift für Angewandte Organisationspsychologie (GIO) · doi:10.1007/s11612-026-00906-8
Srividhya, G., Sathyanarayana, N., & Paramasivan, C. (2026) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-7370-6.ch004
Affa, A. S., & Satrio, D. (2026) · Social Sciences & Humanities Open · doi:10.1016/j.ssaho.2026.103685
Johnson, J. P., Lockhart, G., Yokomizo, E., & Hurtienne, M. W. (2026) · Review of Public Personnel Administration · doi:10.1177/0734371x261481345
Beyond Digital Literacy: Leading the Five Tensions of Enterprise Digital TransformationPreprint
Wei, X., & 毛汉文 (2026) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.7493884
Plezia, G. (2026) · Wroclaw University of Economics and Business eBooks · doi:10.15611/2026.75.3.05
Dang, H. T., Vu, G. T. H., & Nguyen, A. T. T. (2026) · Journal of Asia Business Studies · doi:10.1108/jabs-07-2025-0436
Banda, L., Mokgatle, M. M., & Oladimeji, O. (2026) · Women · doi:10.3390/women6030061
“…peer-support interventions, which has https://doi.org/10.3390/women6030061 underscored the critical role of psychologically safe environments in fostering emotional disclosure and reciprocal support, as exemplified in the seminal contributions of [20] and supported by more recent studies [21,22].”
InfluentialToward a research agenda on why and how psychological safety can unlock quality
Eidolf, J., Lilja, J., & Mårtensson, A. (2026) · International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences · doi:10.1108/ijqss-10-2025-0296
Managing Grassroots and Boardrooms: Change Strategies for Navigating Agentic AI in Organizations
Briker, R., Gonzalez, K., & Kanitz, R. (2026) · The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science · doi:10.1177/00218863261490153
Wang, H., Zhao, Q., Geng, Z., & Tang, H. (2026) · Journal of Workplace Learning · doi:10.1108/jwl-12-2025-0460
Human-Centered Leadership and Positive Organizational Transformation
Raja, P., Alamelu, R., Sathya, M., Christina, J. L., & Blessy, M. I. (2026) · Advances in computational intelligence and robotics book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-9599-9.ch010
Bani-Hani, M. A., Malak, M. Z., Ayed, A., et al. (2026) · International Emergency Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.ienj.2026.101915
Employee grit and learning persistence: a pathway to continuous improvement
Upadhyay, D. (2026) · The Learning Organization · doi:10.1108/tlo-02-2026-0035
Torrent, J. (2026) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.7512700
ICT adoption and female employee voice: psychological safety as a mediator
Abdulkareem, A. K., & Abdulkareem, Z. J. (2026) · Employee Relations · doi:10.1108/er-03-2026-0286
Şenel, E., & Adiloğulları, İ. (2026) · Psychology Health & Medicine · doi:10.1080/13548506.2026.2736863
Saha, S., & Singh, M. K. (2026) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/979-8-2600-0353-4.ch006
Hsu, C. C., Su, C. S., Su, K. I., & Su, C. L. (2026) · Philosophy of Management · doi:10.1007/s40926-026-00408-z
Kyambade, M., & Namatovu, A. (2026) · SN Social Sciences · doi:10.1007/s43545-026-01778-x
“As a result, new work relationships emerge, requiring employees to collaborate with organizational members, integrate their diverse viewpoints and share their ideas and information to achieve common organizational goals (Edmondson and Lei 2014).”
InfluentialCreativity beyond the isolated mind: toward a biopsychosocial and sociotechnical perspective
Neroni, M. A. (2026) · Frontiers in Cognition · doi:10.3389/fcogn.2026.1893765
“When individuals feel able to propose uncertain ideas, disagree, experiment, and acknowledge mistakes without excessive interpersonal risk, they may be more willing to participate, exchange information, and contribute ideas (Edmondson and Lei, 2014; Frazier et al., 2017).”
Sagandi, K., & Protacio, A. (2026) · Psychology and Education A Multidisciplinary Journal · doi:10.70838/pemj.621001
Psikolojik Güvenlik Ortamında Çalışan Sessizliği Üzerine Nitel Bir Değerlendirme
Uludağ, D. (2026) · Kent Akademisi · doi:10.35674/kent.1933347
Benign Envy in Nursing: A Qualitative Exploration of Perceived Triggers and Drivers
Golverdi, M., & Sharifirad, M. S. (2026) · Journal of Nursing Management · doi:10.1155/jonm/2916301
“Workshops might also encourage nurses to examine the competencies of admired [44].”
Erkal, P., & Ancın, V. (2026) · Alanya Akademik Bakış · doi:10.29023/alanyaakademik.1909423
Odesola, O. T., Adebisi, A. M., Akinola, G. O., et al. (2026) · UCJC Business and Society Review (formerly known as Universia Business Review) · doi:10.57087/ucjcbsr.2026.23.90.5008
Attendance Without Engagement: Communication Patterns in Urban Riparian Community Groups
Atika, Sarwoprasodjo, S., Lubis, D. P., et al. (2026) · Howard Journal of Communications · doi:10.1080/10646175.2026.2738640
Echevarría, J. F. (2026) · Revista Iberoamericana de Justicia Terapéutica · doi:10.70478/rijt.2026.13.02
Nyorere, M. E., & Bakpar, E. (2026) · SIAR-Global Journal of Management & Business Review · doi:10.66694/siar.gjmbr20263008
Yiğit, İ., & Kaymakcı, T. (2026) · İstanbul Ticaret Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi · doi:10.46928/iticusbe.1869020
Video as a mediational ecology: evidence, authority and pedagogical design in male youth sport
Torrent, J., & Pedrotti, M. (2026) · Sport Education and Society · doi:10.1080/13573322.2026.2741265
Synchronous IoT Monitoring for Collaborative Troubleshooting in PLC and Arduino Learning
Sukir, S., Kholis, N., & Asmara, A. (2026) · International Journal of Electronics and Communications Systems · doi:10.24042/ijecs.v6i1.26289
Navigating the Mentor-Mentee Relationship
Baciu, C., & Brazelton, B. (2026) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/978-1-80686-347-120261008
The Total Cost of Difficult Leaders: Calculating the Hidden Expense of Toxic Management
Westover, J. (2026) · doi:10.70175/workplaceculture.2026.1.1.4
“Edmondson and Lei (2014) reviewed the psychological safety literature, finding that psychological safety predicted voice behavior, information sharing, and decision quality across multiple organizational contexts.”
Shin, W., & Kim, B. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1962689
“Implicit beliefs about the risks and benefits of voice, psychological safety, and voice efficacy are key conditions that determine whether employees speak up (Detert and Edmondson, 2011; Liang et al., 2012; Edmondson and Lei, 2014; Frazier et al., 2017).”
Leaders’ empathy in crisis: untangling the value of emotional empathy and perspective-taking
Mchiri, A., Zhou, Q., Dharba, S., Fatoki, J. G., Gandhi, S., Rudsari, S., Seok, J.-Y., & Flinchbaugh, C. L. (2026) · Leadership & Organization Development Journal · doi:10.1108/lodj-11-2025-1030
FİLİZ, M., Karagöz, Y., & Karaşın, Y. (2026) · Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice · doi:10.1111/jep.70645
Causation, effectuation, and innovation: A contingency perspective
徐楚, & Han, Q. (2026) · Journal of Strategy & Innovation · doi:10.1016/j.jsinno.2026.200599
Perceived control and stress reactivity in algorithm-supported hiring decisions
Rodríguez‐Campos, L., Gaynor, S., & Rincones-Rodriguez, M. (2026) · Journal of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.jbct.2026.100643
Rodríguez, O. A. G., Ávila, F. J. M., Perdomo‐Charry, G., Cruz, D. Y. P., & Carvajal, J. F. M. (2025) · Producción + Limpia · doi:10.22507/pml.v20n2a3849
Uddin, A. F. M. A. (2026) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.7571898
Türüc, A. (2026) · Journal of Workplace Learning · doi:10.1108/jwl-04-2026-0203
DiazGranados, D., Allen, J. A., & Blanchard, A. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1761061
Jiang, J., Zhang, W., & Du, P. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1923326
“Traditional psychological safety research has largely focused on interpersonal risk taking within teams (Edmondson, 1999; Edmondson and Lei, 2014), whereas perceived psychological exemption zone emphasizes individuals’ evaluations of the safety, restorabil-ity, and sustainability of an entire…”
Can compassion drive firm innovativeness through organizational trust?
Abrini, Z. B., Guinot, J., & Chiva, R. (2026) · Innovation & Management Review · doi:10.1108/inmr-06-2024-0146
How to manage difficult conversations within the nursing team
Harley, J. (2026) · Nursing Management · doi:10.7748/nm.2026.e2218
Scale Development and Validation of the Japanese Employee Engagement Questionnaire
Imamura, K., 樺沢, 敏., Kengo, Y. A. R. A., Ozaki, N., Iida, M., Sakuraya, A., & Kawakami, N. (2026) · Safety and Health at Work · doi:10.1016/j.shaw.2026.09.010
Blancero, D. M., Rutherford, L. M., & Johnson, E. M. (2026) · Equality Diversity and Inclusion An International Journal · doi:10.1108/edi-10-2025-0755
Telgheder, S., & Rowold, J. (2026) · Leadership & Organization Development Journal · doi:10.1108/lodj-11-2025-1060
Li, T., Yuan, Y., Prentice, C., & Wang, F. (2026) · Psychology and Marketing · doi:10.1002/mar.70285
Dryzin-Amit, Y. (2026) · Organizational Dynamics · doi:10.1016/j.orgdyn.2026.101288
The association between perceived organizational respect and fear of retribution
Carter, G. C., Morrow, E. H., Locke, A., Call, M., Epps, J. V., Rodríguez, J. E., & Qeadan, F. (2026) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2026.e45578
Almutairi, A. S., Almutairi, R. R., Almutairi, H., & Alodhialah, A. M. (2026) · Journal of Nursing Management · doi:10.1155/jonm/6527310
The inner architecture of inclusive place leadership: evidence from Indonesian local government
Riskawati, T., Salim, W., Putro, H. P. H., & Ginting, H. (2026) · Contemporary Social Science · doi:10.1080/21582041.2026.2744312
Diversity Management – Chancen für Unternehmen
Jablonski, H. W. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-658-08003-7_40-2
Algoritmik Yönetişimde Psikolojik Güvenlik ve Çalışan Sesi
GÜVENER, H. (2026) · Özgür Yayınları eBooks · doi:10.58830/ozgur.pub1487.c5929
Perform together: gaining growth momentum in SMEs through employee involvement
Geuvers, P., Stam, E., & Murtinu, S. (2026) · International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal · doi:10.1007/s11365-026-01260-3
“First, an organizational climate enhances psychological safety, so that employees feel safe to express their ideas and voice concerns without fear of negative consequences (Edmondson & Lei, 2014).”
Ping, Y., Jayasingam, S. A. P., & Bakar, R. B. A. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1923937
Hsueh, W., Guo, B., Tjoa, C., Niranjan, M. S., Baker, T., Mallinder, H., Deans, R., Greenfield, D., & Gerstl, B. (2026) · BMJ Leader · doi:10.1136/leader-2025-001284
STACKED: A Learning Ecosystem for Sustainable Team Growth in Esports
Strock, E. (2026) · Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports · doi:10.1123/jege.2026-0005
Sánchez-Rodríguez, A., Rodríguez-Flores, J., Pérez-Campdesuñer, R., Narváez-Benavides, M. F., Fernández-Ochoa, Y., & García-Vidal, G. (2026) · Tourism and Hospitality · doi:10.3390/tourhosp7100342
Tsui, P.-L. (2027) · International Journal of Hospitality Management · doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2026.104927
The Supremacy of Peer Inclusion: An AI-Driven Vignette Experiment on Teamwork Dynamics
Soerjoatmodjo, G. W. L. (2026) · Psikologika Jurnal Pemikiran dan Penelitian Psikologi · doi:10.20885/psikologika.vol31.iss1.art1
“For example, Edmondson & Lei (2014) emphasized the importance of psychological safety, while Maynard et al. (2013) found that team cohesion significantly empowered performance.”
Örgütsel Öğrenme ve Sağlık Kurumları
Karadavut, U. (2026) · Özgür Yayınları eBooks · doi:10.58830/ozgur.pub1515.c6100
Carvalho, S., Fernandes, T. M., & Carvalho, C. (2026) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108005
Helbin, T., & Looy, A. V. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-10872009/v1
García-Álvarez, J. M., & Garcia, A. V. (2026) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs16101932
Kim, S.-H. (2026) · Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services · doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2026.105181
The Three Ps of Innovation: Personal, People, and Politics
McTaggart, B., & McTaggart, V. (2026) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/978-1-83742-526-620261008
Ollawa, C., Lawal, O., Julka-Anderson, N., Eteng, R., Ezenwuba, B. N., Meertens, R. M., & Iweka, E. (2026) · Frontiers in Health Services · doi:10.3389/frhs.2026.1924715
Chiu, E. Y. Y. (2026) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/978-1-83742-526-620261004
Hamdan, K. A. H. A., Al-Hussein, S. A.-M., & خطيب, ر. م. (2026) · Özgür Yayınları eBooks · doi:10.58830/ozgur.pub1552.c6337
Kanakamedala, V. R. (2026) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.7635485
Obeng, H. A., Arhinful, R., Mensah, L., Sarwar, A., & Atan, T. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1921650
Ostojic, B. S., & Gavrilović, A. (2026) · Bankarstvo · doi:10.5937/bankarstvo260210o
Obhi, S. S. (2026) · Equality Diversity and Inclusion An International Journal · doi:10.1108/edi-06-2026-0440
Pedroza, J. L. D., Mayoral, P. Á. R., & Moya, F. E. M. D. (2026) · doi:10.62486/978-9915-9966-0-8.ch11
Nguyen, M., Nham, T. P., Almugren, I., Agarwal, S., & Rácz, I. P. (2026) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.108042
Kakati, N. T., Christiansen, M. F., & Reed, S. M. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1898051
The Paradox of Resistance: When Innovation Teams Struggle with Change
Gazi, Y. (2026) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/978-1-83708-152-320261015
Kaur, T., Dubey, R. K., Das, P., Mandal, S., & Jena, L. K. (2026) · Evidence-based HRM a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship · doi:10.1108/ebhrm-03-2025-0129
Suriatmi, A., Anjelina, C., Fitrianie, S., Amran, N. S., & Suciani, S. (2026) · Indonesian Journal of Innovation Multidisipliner Research · doi:10.69693/ijim.v4i4.3166
Internal branding and faculty loyalty: the mediating role of psychological safety
Joshi, A., Khatun, A., & Nagpal, T. (2026) · SN Social Sciences · doi:10.1007/s43545-026-01881-z
“Internal branding contributes to psychological safety by creating an environment where institutional values are clearly communicated, leadership is supportive, and faculty members feel included in institutional initiatives (Edmondson and Lei 2014 ).”
Metadata
- Authors
- Edmondson, A. C., & Lei, Z.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- European School of Management and Technology (DE)
- 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
- 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
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review