Psychology Safety

Developing and maintaining a positive team environment is a central cornerstone of continued success within football. Robust confidence and an effective style of communication are key principles that coaches and managers look to implement into their clubs, and are just two by-products of a psychologically safe team, which has been defined by Edmonsson as “a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking” (1999). Within a footballing context, that can be seen as a team that supports an environment where each player feels comfortable to be creative and take risks without fear of retribution or consequences.

Consider the confidence needed for Mario Gotze to control the ball on his chest before volleying it into the far corner on his weak foot in the 2014 World Cup Final, or the positional understanding and communication necessary for Joe Willock to play a first time pass with the outside of his foot against Spurs, resulting in what has been dubbed as “the assist of the century”. These are clear embodiments of psychological safety being executed at the highest level, and just some of the ways in which it can be utilised to benefit your team’s performances. So how can the process of establishing and maintaining an effective and psychologically safe team environment be supported? Explore our Psychological Safety programme below, and how our research-driven solution can be used to create a positive sustainable performance culture.