Introduction: Why trust in the workplace determines the success of teams today
Change is no longer an exception – it has become the new normal. Economic uncertainty, international crises, technological upheavals, and social transformation shape our everyday lives. This is also true in Switzerland. Companies like Swisscom and SBB are representative of organizations in the midst of profound change: They are digitizing, rethinking sustainability, and must adapt ever more quickly to changing customer needs. Many organizations 
are facing big questions. How do we achieve transformation without losing people and know-how? How do we maintain our bearings when the outside world is constantly rearranging itself? Amidst all these challenges, there is an often overlooked but crucial success factor: psychological safety.
1. What does psychological safety mean?
Psychological safety is the emotional foundation upon which collaboration, innovation, and trust thrive. And it is the difference between a team that survives and one that excels together. Imagine a team where you can speak your mind – even if it’s uncomfortable. Where it’s also OK to admit a mistake. Where people don’t laugh but listen when you ask questions. That is psychological safety. Amy Edmondson, a professor at Harvard Business School, describes psychological safety as the feeling that you don’t just have to function in a team, but that you truly belong. Edmondson has shown that teams where this safety is palpable treat each other with respect, learn faster, act more courageously, and take responsibility.
This is also underscored by the well-known Google project “Aristotle.” The fundamental goal of this project was to define what exactly constitutes a strong team.
1.1 What does a team feel like where members feel truly safe?
Google’s insight was clear: It’s not the brightest minds or the best degrees that make a team successful, but the trust that you can show yourself as you are and be accepted. That you belong, even if you express doubts or have a different opinion. The project team identified five different factors that lead to team effectiveness. In addition to reliability, structure and clarity, purpose, and effectiveness, psychological safety plays a central role. Google defines psychological safety as follows:
“A strong team culture correlated with each member’s perception of the consequences of interpersonal risks. In teams with a strong culture, team members feel safe taking risks, even if they are perceived as ignorant, incompetent, negative, or disruptive. In a team with high psychological safety, team members feel safe taking risks in the presence of their teammates. They trust that no one on the team will embarrass or punish another for admitting a mistake, asking a question, or contributing a new idea.”
1.2 What Google Overlooks – and Why It’s Crucial for Multicultural Teams
Unfortunately, (scientific) studies conducted in Western Europe and North America often have a major gap. They only refer to Western cultures and claim their findings are universally valid. However, more than 70% of the global workforce lives in cultures that practice different values than those of the West. Google makes this mistake, too. The search engine provider’s definition of psychological safety makes perfect sense in the Western world. However, this type of security is not experienced in the same way in every cultural context.
In today’s working world, it has long been commonplace: teams come together across time zones, languages and cultural backgrounds.
As valuable as this diversity is, it can also quickly lead to misunderstandings. What one person understands as a clear statement may seem confrontational to another. What is seen as courageous and open in one team may be perceived as inappropriate in another. What is meant as appreciative feedback may feel like criticism to the other. While leadership cultures in the West rely on personal responsibility, communication at eye level and autonomy, other cultures always put the community before the individual, saving face before facts and hierarchy orientation before free expression. In this field of tension, a space is created in which psychological safety is not automatically given but must be consciously created. This is precisely where another, extremely important concept comes into play.
2. When diversity becomes a challenge: What global teams really need
2.1 No universal definition of Psychological Safety
David Livermore, an expert in intercultural leadership, describes in an article titled “Leading Global Teams Effectively” in the Harvard Business Review (May/June 2025) why psychological safety in global teams deserves special attention. In many cultures, for example, restraint is a sign of respect. Conversely, (public) disagreement is considered disrespectful. This is particularly the case in Southeast Asia. There, hierarchical levels are clearly evident, and maintaining harmony (e.g., not directly saying “no” or directly pointing out mistakes) takes precedence over direct feedback. For concrete examples, consider the cultures of Japan, China, or India. If someone is suddenly asked to openly criticize in such an environment, it can usually be extremely unsettling or even hurtful. Instead of psychological safety, confusion, withdrawal, and silence arise.
“In Western-style teams, openness is rewarded. In other cultures, it is often considered a risk” (David Livermore).
2.2 Cultural Intelligence: The key to successfully living diversity
Livermore impressively demonstrates: In multicultural settings, leaders must learn to read between the lines. Psychological safety often means something different in an Indian, Brazilian, or Japanese team than in a Swiss or Scandinavian one. Those who understand and internalize this can guide teams so that everyone feels seen, heard, and respected according to their cultures. Admittedly, it’s not easy. Leadership in intercultural teams requires more than good intentions: it requires cultural intelligence, sensitivity, and the willingness to continually question one’s own ideas about collaboration. But what is cultural intelligence?
Emotional intelligence (EQ) refers to the ability to perceive and understand one’s own and others’ emotions, respond appropriately to them, and influence them constructively. Cultural intelligence is emotional intelligence in dealing with foreign cultures. When we talk about pure intelligence, everyone knows what IQ means. The measure of cultural intelligence is called CQ (Cultural Intelligence Quotient).
3. Conclusion: Lead with sensitivity – and the courage to see differences
In his article, David Livermore outlines practical strategies for promoting psychological safety in diverse teams:
- Not everyone needs the same kind of freedom. Some employees thrive when they’re allowed to make their own decisions. Others need structure to feel secure.Both are culturally rooted and legitimate.
- Criticism doesn’t always have to be loud. In many cultures, quiet, indirect feedback works better. The key is: Is it heard and understood?
- Saving face is not an obstacle. If you understand that “no” sometimes sounds different to the other person, you can prevent conflicts before they arise.
- Develop rules together. Team norms developed together create commitment – and trust.
- Leadership means looking, not ignoring. If you don’t ignore differences but actively incorporate them, you create a climate in which everyone dares to be themselves and, last but not least, synergies within the relevant teams.
„Cultural intelligence enables leaders to create environments where all team members feel valued, understood, and motivated.“
– David Livermore, Harvard Business Review (2025)
Let’s make psychological safety a real difference. Because no one likes to speak when no one is really listening.
Author: Franziska Knechtenhofer, intermedio
