Psychological Safety: The Foundation for Agile and Resilient Teams
Author: Julie Chance, Founder of Action Strategies by Design
Most change initiatives don’t fail because of a flawed strategy. More often, they fail because the people side of change is not fully understood or addressed. The McKinsey consulting group puts the failure rate of change initiatives at around 70%, and a common reason behind that outcome is how people naturally respond to disruption. That is an uncomfortable reality for organizations that have invested heavily in process design, project management, and timelines, yet have not fully addressed the human aspect of change.
The truth is, we’re creatures of habit, and much of our work is driven by unconscious, reflexive, and established routines. These habits are anchored by deep-seated beliefs, which means change is not simply about introducing a new direction. It requires people to let go of familiar ways of working and build new behaviours over time. That only happens in an environment of psychological safety, where people feel safe to ask questions, test new approaches, make mistakes, and adapt without fear.
Without this foundation, old beliefs and habits will keep getting in the way of change, making it harder for teams to become agile and resilient.
Why Organizations Keep Getting Change Wrong
From what I’ve seen in my work, leaders tend to assume that effective project management will lead to successful change. They consider timelines, systems, structures, technologies, communication plans, and the skills the organization will need. But too often, there is an underlying assumption that once the change is announced, people will “get with the program” and adapt. Unfortunately, that assumption is almost always incorrect.
There are a few common reasons why organizations struggle with change.
- Overinvestment in process and underinvestment in people. Too much time and effort go into the processes, strategies, and shiny new tools, and not nearly enough into helping people accept and adapt to the change.
- Treating change as an announcement rather than a process. Leaders declare the change and expect people to commit right away. But people need time to understand what’s changing, why it matters, and how it affects them.
- Focusing on rational messaging over emotional connection. Logic gets people to think. Emotion gets people to act. While rational arguments (data, strategy, business case) are necessary to initiate change, it’s the emotional connection that drives employees to embrace, adopt, and sustain new behaviors.
- Another mistake is not being clear about what behaviors need to change. It’s not enough to talk about what is changing. Leaders should spell out what people need to start, stop, or do differently.
Understanding Why People Resist Change
Resistance to change is a normal, natural response driven by fear of the unknown, loss of control, or perceived negative impacts. People respond to change through the lens of their personality, past experience, beliefs, and what they think they may lose in the process.
Early in my management career, my reporting line was shifted from the CEO to the COO. On paper, nothing had changed. My paycheck was the same, and my daily responsibilities hadn’t moved an inch, but I was miserable. Looking back, it had nothing to do with the workload and everything to do with a bruised ego. I felt like I’d been kicked out of the ‘inner circle.’ It was a huge lesson for me: we don’t usually resist the change itself; we resist what we think that change says about our worth.
That’s why leaders need to understand what change feels like at an individual level. The same initiative can land very differently for each person across a team.
The Change Curve, adapted from a model originally developed in the 1960s by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, describes the emotional journey people go through when change is introduced. As a result, change produces a temporary dip in morale and productivity before people begin to adjust to a new normal. The leadership task is not to avoid that dip, but to shorten it by recognizing how each person is moving through the change and responding with the right support. This makes it essential to tailor support to individual needs, and the DiSC® model helps leaders understand how different team members are likely to experience and respond to change.
Psychological Safety: The “One Thing” for Resilience
In the book ‘The ONE Thing’ by Gary Keller, the premise is: what is the one thing you can do such that by doing it, everything else becomes easier or unnecessary? In the context of team resilience during change, that “one thing” is Psychological Safety.
Psychological safety, as defined by Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, is the belief that one won’t be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. In a continuous change environment, this is foundational. It means people can ask questions without being labeled resistant. They can acknowledge when they don’t understand something. They can surface potential risks without feeling like they’re threatening the initiative. And they can try new behaviors without the fear that mistakes will be held against them.
Research by Google’s Project Aristotle — a multi-year study on team effectiveness — found that psychological safety was the single most important factor determining whether a team performed well. Psychological safety also builds trust. During change, a high-trust environment helps people stay open and engaged because they believe the organization has their back. When trust is low, change is far more likely to be met with suspicion, skepticism, and resistance.
Is Psychological Safety Just “Being Nice”? And Are We Lowering the Bar?
Before we talk more about how to create that sense of psychological safety, let’s get on the same page about what psychological safety is not. It’s not lowering standards, avoiding accountability, or creating an environment where anything goes.
Amy Edmondson and many other experts in organizational behavior have shown that when leaders make it clear they have their team’s back (safety) while also holding everyone responsible for results (accountability), they create a culture where high performance can take hold and sustain itself. By extension, these teams are far better equipped to adapt, learn, and stay engaged through change without burning out.
What Leaders Can Do to Build Psychological Safety During Change
Disruption is inevitable. But how people feel through it, The leader impacts that. Here are some tips for leaders.
- Communicate the why and what it requires: Explain why the change matters, what is at stake, what it’ll look like when it’s changed, and what people need to start, stop, or do differently.
- Engage in dialogue from the beginning: Give people space to ask questions, raise concerns, and listen to understand how they are experiencing the change.
- Model vulnerability: Acknowledge uncertainty and admit when you don’t have all the answers. This helps build trust.
- Welcome and explore resistance: Resistance is information. Actively explore where it’s coming from. The concerns people raise often surface risks and unintended consequences that leaders haven’t fully accounted for.
- Recognize progress and hold people accountable: Notice and acknowledge what’s going well. When they slip back into old habits, restate the expectation, and help them refocus on the change.
- Keep reinforcing: Change isn’t a one-time message. It takes follow-through and steady reminders of the behaviors you want to see. After all, what gets paid attention to is what will get done.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you’re leading transformation, navigating uncertainty, or building a more resilient organization, start by investing more intentionally in the people side of change.
We offer several assessments and programs for businesses looking to build a stronger culture of trust and psychological safety that leads to more adaptable and resilient teams, including Everything DiSC training and facilitated sessions, which consider personality styles. The 360 Leadership Assessments and Flexibility and Trust Survey can also help you find gaps in communication, trust, and safety that might be limiting your team’s ability to adapt.
Let’s talk about how to support your team through change. Contact us to learn more.
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30942888/
- https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/change-curve
- https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-the-one-thing/
- https://www.hbs.edu/recruiting/insights-and-advice/blog/post/leading-in-tough-times#:~:text=It’s%20a%20natural%20human%20tendency,performed%20by%20individuals%20working%20alone.
- https://www.neuroleadership.com/articles/psychological-safety-and-accountability-three-insights-from-nlis-conversation-with-amy-edmondson#:~:text=Instead%2C%20leaders%20can%20encourage%20growth,and%20roles%20and%20anticipating%20obstacles.
- https://psychsafety.com/googles-project-aristotle/
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is psychological safety in the workplace?
Psychological safety is the shared belief that people can speak up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes without fear of embarrassment or punishment.
2. Why is psychological safety important during change?
It helps people stay open, ask questions, surface risks early, and adapt more quickly. During change, that makes learning and adjustment far more likely.
3. How does psychological safety support agile teams?
Agile teams rely on openness, experimentation, and continuous improvement. Psychological safety makes it easier for people to share setbacks, test ideas, and learn without fear.
4. Does psychological safety mean a lack of accountability?
No. Psychological safety is not about reducing accountability. It is about creating an environment where people can speak honestly, learn quickly, and still be held to clear expectations.
5. How can leaders build psychological safety during change?
Leaders can build it by communicating clearly, inviting questions early, listening to understand, responding well to mistakes, and reinforcing the behaviors they want to see.
6. How can understanding personality differences help leaders support teams through change?
It helps leaders communicate more effectively, reduce friction, and respond better to how different people experience change. Everything DiSC helps build that understanding.
