Psychological Safety Reading Discussion Guide
Book Club Kit Selection
Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate, and Compete in the Knowledge Economy by Amy C. Edmonson (2012)
NCAR|UCAR defines psychological safety as: “A shared belief amongst team members that they can talk openly within the team about relevant ideas, problems, questions, and mistakes, and they will not be punished, judged, embarrassed, or excluded as a result.”
Note that this does NOT mean that employees cannot be held accountable for their performance and/or behavior. Psychological safety requires that everyone hold themselves and others accountable for their actions and competencies.
Discussion Questions
One-Hour Book Club for All
| 11 minute video | Building a Psychologically Safe Workplace by Amy Edmondson (2014) |
| 5 minute read | A Fly on the Wall in a Fearless Organization: What Does Psychological Safety Sound Like? by Amy C. Edmondson (2019) |
| 5 minute read | 5 Ways to Show You Can Lead — Even When You Don’t Have a Leadership Role by David Burkus (2022) |
| 5 minute read | How to Lead When You're Not the Boss by Amy C. Edmondson (2019) |
| 9 minute read | What Psychological Safety Looks Like in a Hybrid Workplace by Amy C. Edmondson and Mark Mortensen (2021) |
| 1 minute read | What Psychological Safety Sounds Like: Phrases to Use by Amy C. Edmondson (Image) |
One-Hour Book Club for Leaders and Managers
| 24 minute video | Psychological Safety: Clear Blocks to Innovation, Collaboration, and Risk-Taking by Amy C. Edmondson (2020) (requires login) |
| 3 minute read | Manager Actions for Psychological Safety by rework.withgoogle.com (2023) |
| 10 minute read | Follow These 4 Steps to Create Psychological Safety In Your Teams by Amy C. Edmondson and Kim Scott (2022) |
| 9 minute read | What Is Psychological Safety at Work? How Leaders Can Build Psychologically Safe Workplaces by Leading Effectively, Center for Creative Leadership (2022) |
| 5 minute read | Four Steps to Building the Psychological Safety That High-Performing Teams Need Today by Kara Baskin (2023) |
Learn more using the Psychological Safety Resource List.
Thanks!
This guide would not be possible without the contributions, expertise, and willingness to learn together from Leigh Dunewood (UCAR ODEI) and the FACES ERG.