We talk about the importance of psychological safety a lot here at People Insight — what it is, what it influences and how to build healthy levels within your workplace. But what we haven’t explored about this complicated and fascinating topic are the four different stages of psychological safety and how focusing on each stage can help to create empowered, dynamic teams.
Psychological safety is one of the most significant factors influencing employee engagement, collaboration and innovation. A workplace that prioritises psychological safety inevitably sees higher levels of productivity, lower turnover rates and increased staff wellbeing.
To create a culture where employees feel comfortable speaking up, taking risks and contributing their best work, organisations need to understand the four stages of psychological safety. Each stage represents a step in building an environment where individuals feel safe to express themselves without fear of judgement or punishment.
In this blog, we explore the four stages of psychological safety and the role leaders play in supporting employees through each stage.
Let’s take a thorough look at each stage of psychological safety, while also exploring how to work toward each stage within your organisation.
The foundation of psychological safety is inclusion. Employees must feel accepted and valued before they can fully engage in their roles, or with their company. Inclusion safety means individuals believe they belong within a group and that their presence is acknowledged and respected.
When employees do not feel included, they are less likely to share ideas or participate in discussions. One source suggests that as many as 57% of employees have witnessed discrimination or a lack of inclusivity at work. Our own benchmark data shows that across sectors, 31% of people don’t believe that all people are treated fairly and equally at their organisation, leading to decreased engagement and productivity.
When inclusion safety is established, employees can move to the next stage — feeling safe to learn.
Once employees feel included, they need to feel safe to ask questions, make mistakes,and engage in learning experiences. Learner safety creates an environment where curiosity is encouraged and employees are not penalised for not knowing everything.
Organisations with high learner safety embrace a growth mindset — believing that skills and intelligence can be developed with effort and learning. This stage is particularly important in industries where innovation and adaptability are key.
Research shows that psychological safety improves employees’ willingness to take risks in learning environments, which is crucial for problem-solving and innovation. When learner safety is established, employees feel ready to apply their knowledge and contribute.
Employees who feel safe to learn must also feel safe to contribute. Contributor safety means employees have the confidence to use their skills, voice their opinions and add value to the organisation without fear of being ignored or ridiculed.
In environments lacking contributor safety, employees may hesitate to share ideas due to concerns about judgement or lack of recognition.
When employees feel confident contributing, they reach the final and most advanced stage of psychological safety — the ability to challenge existing ideas and push for change.
The highest level of psychological safety is challenger safety, where employees feel secure enough to question processes, suggest improvements and challenge the status quo. This is incredibly important and necessary when it comes to innovation and continuous improvement.
Without challenger safety, organisations risk stagnation. Employees may notice inefficiencies or better ways to approach tasks but remain silent due to fear of repercussions. A lack of challenger safety is one of the key reasons organisations struggle to innovate.
In short, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. Organisations that want to build a culture of trust and innovation should aim to help employees reach all four stages of psychological safety. Each stage builds on the one before it — without inclusion safety, employees are unlikely to engage in learning. Without learner safety, they may hesitate to contribute ideas. Without contributor safety, they are unlikely to challenge the status quo.
While all four stages are important, some are harder to achieve than others. Many organisations succeed in establishing inclusion safety by promoting diversity and equity and creating a welcoming environment. However, moving beyond inclusion to learner safety can be more difficult, especially in workplaces where mistakes are penalised. Challenger safety is often the hardest stage to reach, as it requires a workplace culture where questioning leadership decisions is not only accepted but encouraged.
What happens if employees only experience one stage? A workplace that offers only inclusion safety might feel welcoming, but employees may not feel encouraged to learn, contribute or challenge ideas. If an organisation creates contributor safety without inclusion safety, employees who already feel confident may thrive, but others may feel excluded from opportunities to contribute. In workplaces where challenger safety exists without earlier stages, only a select few may feel empowered to challenge ideas, while others remain hesitant to speak up.
For psychological safety to benefit the entire organisation, all four stages need to be in place. But this does not happen overnight — it requires conscious and continuous effort from leadership and ongoing employee listening to identify gaps and barriers.
The four stages of psychological safety do not exist in isolation. They build upon one another to create an environment where employees feel safe to engage, learn, contribute and challenge ideas.
Building psychological safety requires ongoing effort and employee listening plays a vital role in assessing progress. Conducting regular staff wellbeing surveys can help organisations understand whether employees feel safe in their roles and identify areas for improvement.
If you want to evaluate the level of psychological safety in your workplace, a staff wellbeing survey can provide valuable insights. Contact us today to learn more about how our surveys can support your organisation in building a culture of psychological safety.
