Written by In an environment where there is clearly a ‘safe space’ for all team members, there is ultimately a proficient leader in place. By establishing the best mindsets, behaviors, and climate, the good leader is building psychological safety. A positive team environment that has made provision for that safety as well as a platform for expressing opinions and ideas, is the ideal climate for supporting a positive culture.
In a sporting environment, particularly working with youth, psychological safety can be cultivated by role-modeling and reinforcing those behaviors that are to be accepted as appropriate for the team. When an athlete feels at ease asking for assistance, challenging, and questioning, as well as sharing knowledge and opinion it not only provides evidence of this climate but contributes to the robustness of the culture and the strength of the team. The directive leader is one that prohibits stakeholder involvement in the course of the growth of the team, that especially includes the players. This style of leadership creates minions not empowered go-getters.
In the sporting context, psychological safety might be evidenced as a player taking a calculated risk on a field of play or in training, allowing themselves to experience failure while having a go rather than being afraid of being penalized or humiliated for that failure. If fear of failure and fear of penalty stifle creativity and innovation it will staunch development and certainly void any kind of enjoyment.
Though psychological safety as a concept has been in the corporate literature since the 1990’s, it has only made an appearance in sporting psychology research in the last 15 to 20 years. The UK Government’s Sporting Future strategy established a report that looked at the ‘winning-at-all-costs’ culture in sports, and psychological safety was highlighted in relation to high profile cases of alleged abuse during certain Olympic and professional sports.
In Australia, there has been a specific focus on the socio-cultural aspects of sport. The AFL’s Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing, Dr Kate Hall explains that cultural safety has become normalized as a means of ensuring safe workplaces that are inclusive and diverse. She continues with the assertion that psychological safety has entered our vernacular as the next phase of this, and it means that everyone “…can be themselves regardless of their own background, their mental health issues, their personality quirks etc.”
Recommendations should be based on delivering a positive impact on the mental wellbeing of athletes and support staff. Such a framework that is evidence-informed and adapted to the high-stress environment of elite sports will enhance athlete performance. Equipping coaches with the skills to provide psychological safety and circumvent emotional difficulties will ensure a positive and safe culture.