Building Psychological Safety: Manager Guide

I wanted to expand with my own thoughts following Gartner's research on HR priorities for 2025. While I'm happy to see Change Management at number 4, my mind held on to how change fatigue is causing harm to performance and contribution (slide 17).

Managers have a key role here in addressing this - NOT by managing change themselves (as the years prior would tell us), but shifting their focus to building resilient teams, creating psychological safety, and a sense of individual ownership of change.

So today, I'm zooming in on psychological safety and how managers can build this over time. Managers who create an environment that is psychologically safe i.e. where employees feel secure to express themselves, learn, contribute, and challenge ideas without fear of negative repercussions can significantly reduce change fatigue—by as much as 54%, according to Gartner.

Gartner coined the term nomenclature, and I have included my own insights to encourage exploration by managers.

1. Inclusion Safety: Foundational

At its core, inclusion safety satisfies employees' basic need to belong. When team members feel accepted for who they are, without fear of rejection or exclusion, they’re more confident and open. Managers can:

• Actively welcome and support diverse perspectives.

• Recognize individual contributions publicly.

• Establish a zero-tolerance stance on behaviors that demean or exclude others.

2. Learner Safety: The logical next step

Learner safety ensures employees feel safe to ask questions, seek feedback, and make mistakes as they grow. Managers can:

• Model vulnerability: Share your own mistakes and what you learned from them.

• Encourage questions and curiosity during discussions.

• Frame feedback as a tool for growth

This stage is pivotal in helping teams adapt to change, as it normalizes learning as part of the process.

3. Contributor Safety: Value, Value, Value

Contributor safety empowers employees to use their skills to drive results. It’s about removing barriers that prevent people from taking ownership of their work. Managers can:

• Assign responsibilities that align with employees’ strengths.

• Provide the resources and authority they need to execute tasks effectively.

When employees feel trusted to contribute, they’re more motivated and engaged during challenging times.

4. Challenger Safety: No repercussions

Challenger safety allows employees to question the status quo and suggest improvements without fear of backlash. This is probably the most important one. Managers can:

• Solicit ideas for process improvements or new initiatives.

• Create structured forums for constructive debate.

• Reward well-reasoned challenges by taking feedback seriously

A team that feels safe to challenge assumptions will adapt more effectively to change.

Embedding psychological safety takes time and intentionality, but the payoff is immense for managers, teams and as a result, organizations as a whole.

So, as you lead your team through the next wave of change, ask yourself: Are you simply managing their workload, or are you creating an environment where they can thrive?