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Journal ArticleDOI

Psychological safety: A systematic review of the literature

01 Sep 2017-Human Resource Management Review (Elsevier)-Vol. 27, Iss: 3, pp 521-535
TL;DR: In this article, a systematic review of the psychological safety literature is presented, highlighting the need to advance our understanding of psychological safety through the integration of key theoretical perspectives to explain how psychological safety develops and influences work outcomes at different levels of analysis.
About: This article is published in Human Resource Management Review.The article was published on 2017-09-01. It has received 392 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Psychological safety & Empirical research.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the mediating effect of psychological safety on the relationship between sustainable leadership and sustainable performance as well as evaluating the moderation impact of psychological empowerment on that relationship.

95 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide a detailed definition of psychological safety and recommend specific strategies debriefers can use throughout the debriefing to build and maintain psychological safety, while also being able to identify and restore psychological safety during debriefings.
Abstract: Debriefings should promote reflection and help learners make sense of events. Threats to psychological safety can undermine reflective learning conversations and may inhibit transfer of key lessons from simulated cases to the general patient care context. Therefore, effective debriefings require high degrees of psychological safety—the perception that it is safe to take interpersonal risks and that one will not be embarrassed, rejected or otherwise punished for speaking their mind, not knowing or asking questions. The role of introductions, learning contracts and prebriefing in establishing psychological safety is well described in the literature. How to maintain psychological safety, while also being able to identify and restore psychological safety during debriefings, is less well understood. This review has several aims. First, we provide a detailed definition of psychological safety and justify its importance for debriefings. Second, we recommend specific strategies debriefers can use throughout the debriefing to build and maintain psychological safety. We base these recommendations on a literature review and on our own experiences as simulation educators. Third, we examine how debriefers might actively address perceived breaches to restore psychological safety. Re-establishing psychological safety after temporary threats or breaches can seem particularly daunting. To demystify this process, we invoke the metaphor of a ‘safe container’ for learning; a space where learners can feel secure enough to work at the edge of expertise without threat of humiliation. We conclude with a discussion of limitations and implications, particularly with respect to faculty development.

93 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine when and for whom ethical leadership is more or less effective in promoting a sense of work meaningfulness among employees, and their subsequent work attitudes, and find that both employees' core self-evaluation (CSE) and perceived organizational support (POS; as a situational characteristic) moderate the relationship, but in different ways.
Abstract: Despite urgent calls for more research on the integration of business ethics and the meaning of work, to date, there have been few corresponding efforts, and we know surprisingly little about this relationship. In this study, we address this issue by examining when and for whom ethical leadership is more (or less) effective in promoting a sense of work meaningfulness among employees, and their subsequent work attitudes. Drawing on the contingency theories of leadership and work meaningfulness literature, we speculate that both employees’ core self-evaluation (CSE; as a dispositional characteristic) and perceived organizational support (POS; as a situational characteristic) moderate the relationship, but in different ways, and these associations carry over to employees’ subsequent work attitudes in terms of job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intention. We test our hypotheses with two-wave survey data collected from 377 employees. Results indicate that ethical leadership is effective in eliciting work meaningfulness and attitudes for employees higher in CSE or when POS is lower, and ineffective for those lower in CSE or when POS is higher. A supplementary analysis reveals a three-way interaction between ethical leadership, CSE and POS in predicting a sense of work meaningfulness and subsequent work attitudes. Our research cautions that ethical leadership is not a universally positive practice; it can be ineffective or even have a negative impact under some circumstances.

86 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Initial support is provided that nurses who perceive higher levels of commitment-based safety management feel safer to take interpersonal risks and are more willing to speak up about patient safety concerns.
Abstract: Background Speaking up is important for patient safety, but healthcare professionals often hesitate to voice their concerns. Direct supervisors have an important role in influencing speaking up. However, good insight into the relationship between managers’ behaviour and employees’ perceptions about whether speaking up is safe and worthwhile is still lacking. Aim To explore the relationships between control-based and commitment-based safety management, climate for safety, psychological safety and nurses’ willingness to speak up. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey study, resulting in a sample of 980 nurses and 93 nurse managers working in Dutch clinical hospital wards. To test our hypotheses, hierarchical regression analyses (at ward level) and multilevel regression analyses were conducted. Results Significantly positive associations were found between nurses’ perceptions of control-based safety management and climate for safety (β=0.74; p Conclusion Results provide initial support that nurses who perceive higher levels of commitment-based safety management feel safer to take interpersonal risks and are more willing to speak up about patient safety concerns. Furthermore, nurses’ perceptions of control-based safety management are found to be positively related to a climate for safety, although no association was found with speaking up. Both control-based and commitment-based management approaches seem to be relevant for managing patient safety, but when it comes to encouraging speaking up, a commitment-based safety management approach seems to be most valuable.

70 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is recommended that future research involves end users in the design phase of interventions, target both group and organisational levels, ensure visible leader support and work across and within interdisciplinary teams.
Abstract: Having psychologically safe teams can improve learning, creativity and performance within organisations. Within a healthcare context, psychological safety supports patient safety by enabling engagement in quality improvement and encouraging staff to speak up about errors. Despite the low levels of psychological safety in healthcare teams and the important role it plays in supporting patient safety, there is a dearth of research on interventions that can be used to improve psychological safety or its related constructs. This review synthesises the content, theoretical underpinnings and outcomes of interventions which have targeted psychological safety, speaking up, and voice behaviour within a healthcare setting. It aims to identify successful interventions and inform the development of more effective interventions. A key word search strategy was developed and used to search electronic databases (PsycINFO, ABI/Inform, Academic search complete and PubMed) and grey literature databases (OpenGrey, OCLC WorldCat, Espace). Covidence, an online specialised systematic review website, was used to screen records. Data extraction, quality appraisal and narrative synthesis were conducted on identified papers. Fourteen interventions were reviewed. These interventions fell into five categories. Educational interventions used simulation, video presentations, case studies and workshops while interventions which did not include an educational component used holistic facilitation, forum play and action research meetings. Mixed results were found for the efficacy or effectiveness of these interventions. While some interventions showed improvement in outcomes related to psychological safety, speaking up and voice, this was not consistently demonstrated across interventions. Included interventions’ ability to demonstrate improvements in these outcomes were limited by a lack of objective outcome measures and the ability of educational interventions alone to change deeply rooted speaking up behaviours. To improve our understanding of the efficacy or effectiveness of interventions targeting psychological safety, speaking up and voice behaviour, longitudinal and multifaceted interventions are needed. In order to understand whether these interventions are successful, more objective measures should be developed. It is recommended that future research involves end users in the design phase of interventions, target both group and organisational levels, ensure visible leader support and work across and within interdisciplinary teams. CRD42018100659.

70 citations


Cites background from "Psychological safety: A systematic ..."

  • ...This article will build on previous reviews of psychological safety literature [2, 3] by examining interventions which specifically aimed to improve psychological safety, or its related constructs, speaking up and voice behaviour....

    [...]

  • ...ticularly vital role in high-risk work contexts, such as healthcare [3]....

    [...]

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, an exploración de the avances contemporaneos en la teoria del aprendizaje social, con especial enfasis en los importantes roles que cumplen los procesos cognitivos, indirectos, and autoregulatorios.
Abstract: Una exploracion de los avances contemporaneos en la teoria del aprendizaje social, con especial enfasis en los importantes roles que cumplen los procesos cognitivos, indirectos, y autoregulatorios.

20,904 citations

Book
20 Apr 2001
TL;DR: In this paper, values and culture data collection, treatment and validation power distance Uncertainty Avoidance Individualism and Collectivism Masculinity and Femininity Long versus Short-Term Orientation Cultures in Organizations Intercultural Encounters Using Culture Dimension Scores in Theory and Research
Abstract: Values and Culture Data Collection, Treatment and Validation Power Distance Uncertainty Avoidance Individualism and Collectivism Masculinity and Femininity Long versus Short-Term Orientation Cultures in Organizations Intercultural Encounters Using Culture Dimension Scores in Theory and Research

15,228 citations

Book
01 Jan 1991
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the role of measurement in the social sciences and propose guidelines for scale development in the context of scale-based measurement. But, the authors do not discuss the relationship between scale scores and scale length.
Abstract: Chapter 1: Overview General Perspectives on Measurement Historical Origins of Measurement in Social Science Later Developments in Measurement The Role of Measurement in the Social Sciences Summary and Preview Chapter 2: Understanding the "Latent Variable" Constructs Versus Measures Latent Variable as the Presumed Cause of Item Values Path Diagrams Further Elaboration of the Measurement Model Parallel "Tests" Alternative Models Exercises Chapter 3: Reliability Continuous Versus Dichotomous Items Internal Consistency Relability Based on Correlations Between Scale Scores Generalizability Theory Summary and Exercises Chapter 4: Validity Content Validity Criterion-related Validity Construct Validity What About Face Validity? Exercises Chapter 5: Guidelines in Scale Development Step 1: Determine Clearly What it Is You Want to Measure Step 2: Generate an Item Pool Step 3: Determine the Format for Measurement Step 4: Have Initial Item Pool Reviewed by Experts Step 5: Consider Inclusion of Validation Items Step 6: Administer Items to a Development Sample Step 7: Evaluate the Items Step 8: Optimize Scale Length Exercises Chapter 6: Factor Analysis Overview of Factor Analysis Conceptual Description of Factor Analysis Interpreting Factors Principal Components vs Common Factors Confirmatory Factor Analysis Using Factor Analysis in Scale Development Sample Size Conclusion Chapter 7: An Overview of Item Response Theory Item Difficulty Item Discrimination False Positives Item Characteristic Curves Complexities of IRT When to Use IRT Conclusions Chapter 8: Measurement in the Broader Research Context Before the Scale Development After the Scale Administration Final Thoughts References Index About the Author

11,710 citations

Book
05 Jun 1991
TL;DR: Measurement in the Broader Research Context Before the Scale Development After the Scale Administration Final Thoughts References Index about the Author.
Abstract: Chapter 1: Overview General Perspectives on Measurement Historical Origins of Measurement in Social Science Later Developments in Measurement The Role of Measurement in the Social Sciences Summary and Preview Chapter 2: Understanding the "Latent Variable" Constructs Versus Measures Latent Variable as the Presumed Cause of Item Values Path Diagrams Further Elaboration of the Measurement Model Parallel "Tests" Alternative Models Exercises Chapter 3: Reliability Continuous Versus Dichotomous Items Internal Consistency Relability Based on Correlations Between Scale Scores Generalizability Theory Summary and Exercises Chapter 4: Validity Content Validity Criterion-related Validity Construct Validity What About Face Validity? Exercises Chapter 5: Guidelines in Scale Development Step 1: Determine Clearly What it Is You Want to Measure Step 2: Generate an Item Pool Step 3: Determine the Format for Measurement Step 4: Have Initial Item Pool Reviewed by Experts Step 5: Consider Inclusion of Validation Items Step 6: Administer Items to a Development Sample Step 7: Evaluate the Items Step 8: Optimize Scale Length Exercises Chapter 6: Factor Analysis Overview of Factor Analysis Conceptual Description of Factor Analysis Interpreting Factors Principal Components vs Common Factors Confirmatory Factor Analysis Using Factor Analysis in Scale Development Sample Size Conclusion Chapter 7: An Overview of Item Response Theory Item Difficulty Item Discrimination False Positives Item Characteristic Curves Complexities of IRT When to Use IRT Conclusions Chapter 8: Measurement in the Broader Research Context Before the Scale Development After the Scale Administration Final Thoughts References Index About the Author

10,722 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A new stress model called the model of conservation of resources is presented, based on the supposition that people strive to retain, project, and build resources and that what is threatening to them is the potential or actual loss of these valued resources.
Abstract: Major perspectives concerning stress are presented with the goal of clarifying the nature of what has proved to be a heuristic but vague construct. Current conceptualizations of stress are challenged as being too phenomenological and ambiguous, and consequently, not given to direct empirical testing. Indeed, it is argued that researchers have tended to avoid the problem of defining stress, choosing to study stress without reference to a clear framework. A new stress model called the model of conservation of resources is presented as an alternative. This resource-oriented model is based on the supposition that people strive to retain, project, and build resources and that what is threatening to them is the potential or actual loss of these valued resources. Implications of the model of conservation of resources for new research directions are discussed.

9,782 citations

Trending Questions (1)
Does psychological safety reduce violations of safety rules?

The paper does not specifically address whether psychological safety reduces violations of safety rules.