Psychological safety begins with behavior – but it only persists if it is structurally anchored.
In Part 1, we saw how teams can quickly create a safe environment through active listening, a culture of constructive criticism, and transparent communication. But what happens when clear goals are missing, roles are blurred, or rules don't exist?
Psychological safety begins with behavior – but it only persists if it is structurally anchored.
Then psychological safety often remains a fragile commodity – dependent on the chemistry in the team or the commitment of individual leaders. At the same time, a structure that is too rigid can increase uncertainty, as team members tend to adhere to formal guidelines rather than open interaction. But real team strength needs more than good intentions. Psychological safety must be integrated into the system.
In Part 2, we show which structural foundations are necessary to ensure psychological safety in the long term: clear goals, defined roles and transparent rules. Because only when teams know where they are heading, who is responsible for what and according to which rules they work together can a working environment be created in which people dare to contribute their best ideas - in the long term, regardless of moods or individuals. At the same time, we consider the danger of ‘psychological fusion’ - when teams cling so tightly to their structure that differing opinions or conflicts are no longer addressed openly.
So how do we create this foundation? Let's get started.
The myth of the “harmonious” team
Imagine an orchestra rehearsing without a score. The violinists play Mozart, the drummer improvises jazz, and the conductor is silent. Chaos? Yes. And yet many teams work in just this way: operationally at full speed, but with unclear goals, diffuse roles, unspoken rules.
A real example: For five months, a small management team in a rapidly growing manufacturing company has been unable to implement the necessary structures that they themselves have set, for whatever reason. But this development is not openly addressed and dealt with internally.
The result is not creativity, but insecurity and a massive loss of motivation and energy.
Psychological safety – the feeling of not being afraid to ask questions, admit mistakes, share ideas or set limits – does not arise in a vacuum. It needs a foundation. And that consists of three structural building blocks: clear goals, defined roles and transparent rules.
1. Clear goals: The compass that provides direction before certainty arises
A team without a goal is like a ship without a harbor. Why should anyone on board dare to hoist the sails if no one really knows where the journey is headed? - The “why” creates meaning: clear, common goals are not a straitjacket, but a frame of reference. They say: we can experiment here as long as we keep our sights on the North Star.
Example: Every brainstorming session in a tech startup failed – until the team refined its goal from “innovation” to “solving customer problems”. Suddenly, criticism became constructive because everyone knew: It's about our frame of reference and solving our customers' problems.
It's not about ego, but about the matter at hand.
Question for you: Does everyone in your team know which port they are heading for? Or is everyone rowing in a different direction?
2. Clear roles: The choreography that creates certainty in movement.
Psychological safety works when everyone knows: What is my job – and what is not my job?
Roles are not cages, but spaces for play: A study in nursing shows that teams with clearly defined responsibilities make fewer mistakes – not out of fear, but because they can rely on their expertise in the specific role.
Tip: Define roles not only by tasks, but also by influence: Who decides? Who advises? Who executes?
And: roles today are not “static”: the real roles in a team are made up of the rapidly changing expectations of all other team members regarding the role holders. Psychological safety in a team is therefore created above all when team members continuously clarify and agree on their expectations of each other.
3. Clear rules: the invisible operating system for trust
Rules are like oxygen: you only notice them when they are missing. A team without rules is like a jungle – and in the jungle, caution is more appropriate than carelessness.
Rule no. 1: How do we argue? Clarify with each other: When do we discuss internally? When do we bring the customer in? When does the lead decide? Result: No more shouting, but productive friction.
The small print of the collaboration: How quickly do we respond to emails? How do we deal with mistakes? Who documents what? The clearer the rules, the more energy flows into the actual, value-adding tasks.
Note: Rules are not a legal code. They must remain alive – like a garden that is regularly cared for.
Epilogue: psychological safety is not a matter of luck, but a skill.
Ultimately, it's not about warm words or team-building events. It's about constant and conscious work: defining goals more precisely, adjusting roles, agreeing on rules of cooperation – and then readjusting them again and again. Only when this foundation is in place does the space emerge in which people dare to take risks in the confidence of psychological safety.
Key takeaways:
- Clarity of purpose creates certainty of meaning.
- Clarity of roles creates certainty of responsibility.
- Clarity of rules creates certainty of process.
And when all this is in place? Then psychological safety can grow – not as a little plant of harmony, but as a tree of productive unrest. However, it must be ensured that rules do not lead to restrictions, but rather support psychological safety as a dynamic process.
