Building psychological safety into research teams

Session details

Date: 11 June 2026

A practical session that helps take the concept of psychological safety from insight into action to support teams to work better together.

Speakers

Paula Hill, Organisational Development Lead, Newcastle University
Katie Gray, Research Project Manager, Newcastle University
Dawn Roxburgh, Organisational Development Lead, Newcastle University

Session overview

The session covered the concept of psychological safety, moving beyond the theory to explore what this looks like in real work settings, why it breaks down and how everyday behaviours can make a difference.

The session was delivered by the team at Newcastle University as part of the Wellcome Trust funded project on Reimagining Leadership.

You can download the session slides from the link on the right. You can also find more information on the session below.

Topics covered

Psychological safety and its key drivers
Barriers to speaking up in the workplace
Building a collaborative team environment

Session resources

Session slides

What is psychological safety?

A shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking

Dr Amy Edmondson, The Fearless Organization (2019).

Psychological safety is about creating environments where people can contribute, question, learn and disagree without fear of humiliation or negative consequences.

What behaviours can damage psychological safety?

Psychological safety is often built - or damaged - in micro-moments.

The following are examples of behaviours which can cause people to quietly shut down in meetings:

People dominating conversations
Hierarchy
Interruptions
Number of attendees
Fear of being judged
Over confidence from others
Defensiveness
Joking/banter

Sometimes, the expertise of others within meetings can make speaking up challenging. Often, we worry what people will think of us for expressing our thoughts and opinions.

During the session, we asked attendees, "In your current team, what's harder?".

50% said giving critical feedback
29% said challenging a senior view
17% said asking a basic question
8% said offering a new idea or suggestion

Setting agreements on how to work together

Setting agreements or 'ground rules' on how to work together can minimise the perceived risk of speaking out during meetings, and contribute to a feeling of safety which can encourage participation.

Some examples:

We want to hear all views and experiences. Take turns to speak and avoid interruptions.
We aim for open, constructive dialogue which focuses on ideas rather than individuals.
We respect confidentiality (Chatham House rule). Take insights with you, while keeping who said what within the group.
We value diverse perspectives by using inclusive, respectful language.
Participation is optional and members are free to turn their cameras off, step away or take a pause at any point.

Leaders toolkit for building psychological safety

1. Set the stage

This involves creating clarity about the work and why it matters.

Practical ways to do this:

Make the ways of working explicit by co-creating 'ground rules' with your team.
Use framing statements, i.e., "We're early in thinking here", or "What are we missing?".
Emphasise the purpose of speaking up - different perspectives improve the overall quality of the team's work.

2. Invite participation

Often, people are still hesitant to speak up even after setting the stage. Encourage input from the team and make it feel safer for them to speak up.

Practical ways to do this:

Conduct check-ins with your team at the start of the meeting to invite participation - even if it's asking them to react to something with an emoji or word.
Practice conversational turn-taking during meetings - this establishes expectations about when to speak and supports equal participation opportunities.
Use the 'Think - Pair - Share' method for inviting participation - this recognises diversity and allows thinking time before speaking.

3. Responses matter

How you react is crucial to a person's sense of psychological safety. Make a conscious effort to react in a way that builds trust and supports learning.

Destigmatise failure

Own and share your mistakes as a role model - showing vulnerability reduces the cost of imperfection in the eyes of others.
Carry out 'after-action reviews' to establish lessons learned.
Respond to mistakes with curiosity before judgement.

Express appreciation