The Psychological Safety Scale
Building psychological safety in the workplace starts with knowing how safe your team members feel at the moment. Canadian researcher Professor Amy Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, a chair established to support the study of human interactions that lead to the creation of successful enterprises that contribute to the betterment of society. The Psychological Safety Scale comes from her 2012 book, Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate, and Compete in the Knowledge Economy.
To measure your team’s level of psychological safety, Edmondson suggests asking yourself how strongly you agree or disagree with these statements:
Simply circle the number that most applies to you in your team.
If I make a mistake in this team, it is often held against me: Strongly Disagree (5); Disagree (4); Neutral (3); Agree (2); Strongly Agree (1)
Members of this team are able to bring up problems and tough issues: Strongly Disagree (1); Disagree (2); Neutral (3); Agree (4); Strongly Agree (5)
People on this team sometimes reject others for being different: Strongly Disagree (5); Disagree (4); Neutral (3); Agree (2); Strongly Agree (1)
It is safe to take a risk in this team: Strongly Disagree (1); Disagree (2); Neutral (3); Agree (4); Strongly Agree (5)
It is difficult to ask other members of this team for help: Strongly Disagree (5); Disagree (4); Neutral (3); Agree (2); Strongly Agree (1)
No one on this team would deliberately act in a way that undermines my efforts: Strongly Disagree (1); Disagree (2); Neutral (3); Agree (4); Strongly Agree (5)
Working with members of this team, my unique skills and talents are valued and utilized: Strongly Disagree (1); Disagree (2); Neutral (3); Agree (4); Strongly Agree (5)
Add up all he numbers you circled. The maximum score is 35 (7 items x 5 points each). How well did you score? Which items did you score lowest? What does this say about your perception of psychological safety where you work right now?
