The question was simple:
“Is there anything you’d do differently next time?”
The manager was kind. Calm. Encouraging. But the silence in the room was loud.
A few team members looked down. One person fidgeted with their notepad. Someone eventually offered a polite comment — nothing controversial, nothing risky. Just enough to move things along.
It’s a moment that plays out in workplaces every day.
And it reveals something deeper: what’s missing isn’t feedback — it’s safety.
Psychological safety isn’t about comfort or positivity. It’s about permission.
It’s the belief that you can:
…without fear of being dismissed, ignored, or judged.
Coined by Harvard researcher Amy Edmondson, psychological safety is a foundation of high-performing teams — but also one of the most misunderstood.
Especially in stretched, fast-moving public sector environments, it’s easy to assume that because people are polite or collaborative, they feel safe.
But here’s the truth: silence is often mistaken for harmony.
Psychological safety isn’t built in grand gestures. It’s built — or broken — in the smallest interactions.
You’ve likely seen these red flags:
And on the manager’s side, it’s easy to think:
“They’re just quiet.”
“Everyone seems fine.”
“We don’t have time for a big conversation right now.”
But what’s not being said often matters more than what is.
The good news? You don’t need to overhaul your team culture or book a week-long away day to create psychological safety.
Often, it starts with one shift in behaviour — from you.
Here’s what helps:
“I’m not sure either — let’s figure it out together.”
When managers show they don’t have all the answers, it gives others permission to speak up.
Swap:
“Any thoughts?”
For:
“What’s a risk we might be missing?”
“Is there anything that doesn’t sit right?”
“Who sees it differently?”
When someone does challenge or question something, avoid defensiveness or shutting it down. Even a neutral “thanks for raising that — let’s explore it” goes a long way.
Pay attention to whose voices dominate — and who rarely speaks. Psychological safety means everyone, not just the confident few, feels they can contribute.
Nothing erodes trust faster than asking for feedback… then doing nothing with it. Even small follow-ups (“Here’s what we changed based on your input”) build credibility and safety.
At the University of Westminster, the Digital Transformation Team began exploring their team dynamics during a Team Discovery Workshop.
They weren’t focused on “fixing” anyone — just learning how to work better together. And through the process, something shifted:
As one participant shared:
“It’s not that people weren’t trying before. But we weren’t having the kind of conversations that build real trust. Now we are.”
That’s psychological safety in motion.
In high-pressure public sector roles, mistakes have consequences. Decisions affect lives. And time is always short.
That’s why psychological safety isn’t a “nice-to-have” — it’s a performance enabler.
When teams feel safe, they:
And all of that starts with how leaders lead.
For managers across the NHS, higher education, local authorities, and beyond — creating psychological safety isn’t about slowing down. It’s about making space for what matters.
You don’t need a grand strategy to build team trust. You need a habit.
Try this:
“What’s one thing we didn’t say today that we probably should have?”
“Is there anything I could do differently to make speaking up easier?”
And if you want to build a culture that enables this long term, our Management Development Programme helps managers across the public sector lead with confidence and create space for honest, energising conversations.
Related Reading:
Psychological safety isn’t a fixed trait. It’s a culture — and cultures are built, not assumed.
When you, as a manager, invite honest input, reward curiosity, and model humility, your team doesn’t just feel heard. They feel safe — and that changes everything.