Research has shown that psychological safety is crucial for fostering inclusive and effective teams and workplaces. However, practical guidance for managers remains hard to implement. While leaders have increasingly recognized the importance of hearing employees’ feedback and encouraging them to speak up, actionable strategies are less clear. Training professionals can help bridge this gap and coach managers on their behavior.

Here, we propose three key techniques training professionals can use to help managers adapt to enhance psychological safety: establishing team rituals, intentionally soliciting feedback and embracing vulnerability. By implementing these approaches, trainers can help managers create environments where teams learn and develop together, and team members feel supported, valued and empowered to contribute fully at work.

1.   Building Rituals

From an anthropological perspective, ritualized performances and collective acts foster community and group cohesion. They provide structure, meaning and shared experiences for individuals to create a sense of belonging and group identity. One example is feasting; it symbolizes unity and a shared identity and purpose, ensuring everyone feels included and valued.

In the workplace, rituals can be used similarly to foster psychological safety. Rituals in teams don’t have to be elaborate, but they must be consistent and purposeful. For instance, regular check-ins, where team members share updates, challenges or reflections on their professional as well as personal lives. This practice encourages open communication and vulnerability. By making check-ins a standard and regular part of team interactions, managers can create a culture were speaking up feels natural and expected from everyone.

Another powerful ritual is co-creating a team charter — a shared agreement developed collaboratively by team members to make explicit their shared values, communication preferences and conflict resolution strategies. In addition to aligning the team’s vision and mission, this process empowers each member to voice their expectations and concerns — pre-empting conflict and resentment by aligning on expectations beforehand. Moreover, the act of cocreation strengthens bonds and reinforces the idea that every individual’s contribution matters.

Trainers can help managers understand the value of rituals in fostering psychological safety, emphasizing how structured practices can reduce workplace anxiety, promote open communication and strengthen team cohesion. By linking rituals to strategic objectives like innovation, collaboration and employee motivation, trainers can ensure that managers see rituals as essential tools rather than optional activities.

2.   Soliciting Feedback

In an increasingly globalized world, it’s essential to consider how culture shapes colleagues’ experiences and behaviors at work. In cultures with more rigid hierarchies and greater power distance — where authority figures are seen as less approachable — employees may find it harder to admit mistakes, speak up to leadership or deliver bad news. Thus, traditional open-door policies are no longer enough on their own.

As training professionals, we should encourage managers to seek feedback often and intentionally. In teams with people from diverse cultures, managers must create a tailored strategy for giving and receiving feedback. Anonymous feedback channels can be a way to hear from colleagues who are more reluctant to speak out directly, making access to different voices more equitable. We also encourage managers to initiate bilateral feedback sessions with their team members once a quarter to align with priorities and not let recency bias creep into performance reviews. This way, issues can be caught earlier, and more frequent check-ins can also help with course corrections and follow-up on the feedback previously given by either party. The stop-start-continue framework can be a good starting point to address things that are going well, things that need changing, and new behaviors we wish to see. People also prefer different feedback styles and formats: make sure you check in with everyone individually about what works best for them, as they’ll be more receptive to it.

Another way to make personal differences explicit is through a personal user manual. This tool is similar to a team charter but is all about individuals (e.g., showcasing work preferences, preferred meeting times and mediums, etc.). By facilitating team interactions or advising managers to have all team members think through how they prefer to work and get their work done, it’s easier for the team to align and for team cohesion to be smoother.

3.   Showcasing Vulnerability

Leaders who lead by example, showcasing their vulnerability and acknowledging their fallibility, create a positive ripple effect for their teams. This does not mean disregarding shortcomings, such as missing sales targets, but rather demonstrating the importance of learning from one’s mistakes. Trainers can help managers understand that vulnerability is not a sign of weakness but a powerful tool. In fact, it’s crucial for employees to know that their leaders also sometimes get things wrong.

By being open about their mistakes and how they overcome them, leaders can signal to the team that:

• Mistakes should not be stigmatized; they are opportunities for learning and growth.
• Admitting mistakes and stepping in early is vital, as problems rarely improve with time.
• Others are likely facing similar challenges — it’s often the system that needs fixing, not the individual.
• Every voice matters — each team member’s insights are essential for identifying issues and driving improvement.

Conclusion

In conclusion, fostering psychological safety is essential for building inclusive and high-performing teams. By establishing consistent and meaningful team rituals, intentionally soliciting feedback through tailored strategies and embracing vulnerability as a leadership skill, managers can cultivate trust, openness and collaboration on their teams.

With the guidance and facilitation of training professionals, these actionable techniques can be integrated into workplace practices, empowering employees to feel valued in contributing their best at work.