Edmondson's "Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams"

Edmondson, Amy. “Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams.” Administrative Science Quarterly 44.2 (1999): 350-383. SAGE Journals. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.

Amy Edmondson uses interviews and surveys at an office furniture company to investigate how teams’ psychological safety and learning behavior affect team performance, concluding that learning behavior plays a “mediating role” (350).  According to Edmondson, an individual’s learning process and willingness to speak up depends on the team’s social contexts and norms (352). For Edmondson, the learning process includes not only “detecting and correcting error” but also “reflection and action” in conversation with leaders and team members (353).  Edmondson writes that the idea of “team psychological safety” is the “shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking” and is based on “mutual respect and trust” (354). Edmondson also notes the importance of caring for creating an environment of psychological safety (375).