Creating Safe Spaces at Work — And What Gets in the Way

Every business says it values openness and trust.
But how many workplaces actually make it safe for people to speak their minds — honestly and without fear?

At the heart of this is psychological safety:
A culture where people feel able to:
✅ Share ideas
✅ Admit mistakes
✅ Raise concerns
✅ Challenge decisions
✅ Ask for help

When that’s missing, you’ll often see the HiPPO effect in full flow — where the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion dominates discussion and shuts down other voices (whether intentionally or not). The result? Groupthink. Missed risks. Stalled innovation. Frustrated, disengaged teams.

When psychological safety is present, by contrast, you get curiosity, creativity, accountability — and real performance. Creating safe spaces adds real value.

Practical ways to build safe spaces

Drawing on both practical experience and insight from Time to Think by Nancy Kline, here’s what helps:

✅ Listen to understand, not to reply
As Kline writes: “The quality of everything we do depends on the quality of the thinking we do first. And the quality of our thinking depends on how we are treated while we are thinking.”
If you’re constantly finishing people’s sentences, rushing conversations or already mentally preparing your rebuttal — people won’t share what they really think.

✅ Leaders go first
Admit mistakes. Show vulnerability. Demonstrate that you’re open to challenge. If you want people to be open with you, you have to go first.

✅ Actively manage the HiPPO effect
If the room always defers to the highest-paid or most senior voice, your culture isn’t safe. Deliberately invite others to contribute first. Use techniques like rounds or structured silence to make space for quieter voices.

✅ Handle mistakes well
Turn mistakes into learning — not blame. Nothing shuts people down faster than seeing colleagues punished for getting something wrong.

✅ Encourage challenge
Actively seek out different views — and act on them. If challenge is met with defensiveness, people won’t risk speaking up again.

✅ Reward openness
When someone has the courage to raise a concern or highlight an awkward issue — thank them. Reward the behaviour you want to see.

✅ Be clear on expected behaviour
Safe spaces only exist where there is respect. Make it clear that exclusion, belittling or unkindness will not be tolerated.

And what gets in the way?

The barriers are often subtle, but powerful:
❌ The HiPPO effect
❌ Interrupting or dismissing people
❌ Judging before understanding
❌ Rushing through conversations
❌ Subtle punishment of dissent
❌ Focusing only on performance, not people

Small changes. Big results in creating safe spaces.

Psychological safety isn’t built through a policy — it’s built in daily conversations. The manager who listens deeply creates safe spaces. The leader who admits when they got it wrong creates safe spaces. The colleague who asks, “What do you think?” — and genuinely wants to know creates safe spaces.

As Nancy Kline reminds us: “The mind that holds the problem often also holds the solution — if only we would give it space to think.”

If you’re leading a team, ask yourself:
👉 Are all voices truly heard — or just the loudest or most senior?
👉 When someone speaks up — do I listen to understand?
👉 What small behaviours could I shift to build greater safety here?