Timothy R. Clark’s The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety framework offers a roadmap for creating psychologically safe teams. This framework is based on human needs in social settings and follows a basic progression from belongingness needs to candour.
4 types of psychological safety –
The four stages are inclusion safety, learner safety, contributor safety, and challenger safety.
Inclusion safety
Inclusion safety involves ensuring that all team members feel included and valued. It answers the question: “Do I belong here?”
When inclusion safety is strong, people feel valued just for being present. They don’t have to hide parts of themselves or worry about being “different.” Teams with inclusion safety welcome diverse perspectives, celebrate authenticity, and make sure no one feels invisible.
Learner safety
Learner safety encourages team members to seek out new information and ask questions,try new things, make mistakes, and grow without fear of judgment.
In environments with high learner safety, curiosity is encouraged, and failure is seen as part of the process.
Contributor safety
Contributor safety is about empowering team members to make valuable contributions and recognising their efforts. Contributor safety answers the question: “Can I make a difference here?”
People with contributor safety feel trusted and empowered. Their input is heard, respected, and used.
Challenger safety
Challenger safety involves embracing healthy conflict and encouraging team members to challenge assumptions and share their opinions. This is the highest level of psychological safety.
Challenger safety means being able to question decisions, raise concerns, or offer better ways of doing things, even if it’s uncomfortable.