BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN NAME:Psychological Safety Across Cultures and Contexts METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20260929T090000 DTEND:20260930T173000 DTSTAMP:20260929T090000 UID:psychological-safety-across-cu@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573 CREATED:20260911T082143 LOCATION:Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1105, School of Business and Economics for Professionals, De Boelelaan, 1081 HV, AMSTERDAM SUMMARY:Psychological Safety Across Cultures and Contexts X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

We are excited to an nounce that the international conference Psychological Safety Ac ross Cultures and Contexts will be held in Amsterdam on 29–30 September 2026.

Keynote Speaker

Amy Ed mondson (Harvard Business School)


This conference aims to advance contemporary thinking on psychological safety by exa mining its cultural foundations and its relevance across diverse orga nizational and societal contexts. We invite researchers from around t he world working on psychological safety to submit and present their research.
Important Dates


Submission De tails

Please submit your abstracts by sending them to  leadershipacademy@vu.nl


Background and Motivation

Creating psychologic ally safe environments for employees is widely regarded as a central priority in contemporary organizations. Psychological safety, defined as a shared belief about the consequences of taking interpersonal ri sks in a given context (Edmondson, 1999), reflects the extent to whic h individuals feel able to speak up, ask for help, challenge ideas, a nd collaborate effectively.

A growing body of research demonstr ates that psychological safety:

As such, psychological safety has become a foundational concept in organizational behavior and management resea rch.

However, despite this strong evidence, current debates rem ain largely grounded in Western-centric assumptions, particularl y those derived from studies conducted in the United States and simil ar cultural contexts. Moreover, most research on psychological safety has been done in the context of health delivery (Edmondson & Bra nsby, 2023), a setting that has typical organizational and institutio nal characteristics.

As a result, important questions arise reg arding the contextual influences on the understanding and effect s of psychological safety. Much of our current understanding may be c onstrained by implicit cultural assumptions, limiting its applicabili ty in diverse global settings.

This conference seeks to advance research on psychological safety by integrating cross-cultural perspectives with organizational practice. By critically examining ho w psychological safety is shaped by cross-cultural and other contextu al conditions (e.g., organizational values) , we aim to foster new in sights that move beyond dominant Western frameworks and contribute to more inclusive, context-sensitive, and globally relevant theories an d practices.


Towards a Cross-Cultural and Co ntext-Sensitive Understanding

An increasing number of scholars have called for a deeper examination of psychological safety across cultures and contexts. While recent research conducted outsid e North America and beyond typical business settings confirms many of its positive effects, significant gaps remain.

In particular:< /p>

These gaps highlight the need to further a cross-cultural and context-sensitive understand ing of the forms, emergence, erosion, and effects of psychological sa fety.

Through this Call for Papers, we invite contributions tha t explore and advance research on psychological safety across culture s and contexts. We particularly encourage submissions that integrate& nbsp;theoretical, empirical, and practical perspectives.


Example Questions for Consideration

Contr ibutions may address, but are not limited to, the following questions :

Conference Fees

Full conference fee €350
PhD students fee €250

Organizing Committee

Irina Prosviriakova, < a data-email-address="i.prosviriakova@student.vu.nl" href="mailto:i.p rosviriakova@student.vu.nl">i.prosviriakova@student.vu.nl
Prof . dr. Svetlana Khapova, s.n.khapova@vu.nl
Dr. Steven van Baarle, s.van.baarle@vu.nl
Prof. dr.ir. Elco van Burg, elco.van.burg@vu.nl
Dr. Sheba Agarwal, s.agarwal@vu. nl

DESCRIPTION: We are excited to announce that the international confere nce Psychological Safety Across Cultures and Contexts will be held in Amsterdam on 29–30 September 2026.

Keynote Speaker

Amy Edmondson (Harvard Business School)

This conference aims to advance contemporary thinking on psycho logical safety by examining its cultural foundations and its relevanc e across diverse organizational and societal contexts. We invite rese archers from around the world working on psychological safety to subm it and present their research.
Important Dates
  • Submission deadline for Abstracts (1000 words): 30 May 20 26
  • Notification of acceptance: 15 June 2026
  • Submission deadline for Full Papers: 1 September 2026
  • Confe rence dates: 29–30 September 2026

Sub mission Details

Please submit your abstracts by sending them to  leadershipacademy@vu.nl
Background and MotivationCreating psychologically safe envi ronments for employees is widely regarded as a central priority in co ntemporary organizations. Psychological safety, defined as a shared b elief about the consequences of taking interpersonal risks in a given context (Edmondson, 1999), reflects the extent to which individuals feel able to speak up, ask for help, challenge ideas, and collaborate effectively.A growing body of research demonstrates that psychologic al safety:
  • Enhances learning from mistakes
  • Improve s innovation and process effectiveness
  • Increases employee e ngagement
  • Facilitates knowledge sharing and open communicat ion
  • Supports team and organizational performance
A s such, psychological safety has become a foundational concept in org anizational behavior and management research.However, despite this st rong evidence, current debates remain largely grounded in Wester n-centric assumptions, particularly those derived from studies conduc ted in the United States and similar cultural contexts. Moreover, mos t research on psychological safety has been done in the context of he alth delivery (Edmondson & Bransby, 2023), a setting that has typ ical organizational and institutional characteristics.As a result, im portant questions arise regarding the contextual influences on t he understanding and effects of psychological safety. Much of our cur rent understanding may be constrained by implicit cultural assumption s, limiting its applicability in diverse global settings.This confere nce seeks to advance research on psychological safety by integrating& nbsp;cross-cultural perspectives with organizational practice. By cri tically examining how psychological safety is shaped by cross-cultura l and other contextual conditions (e.g., organizational values) , we aim to foster new insights that move beyond dominant Western framewor ks and contribute to more inclusive, context-sensitive, and globally relevant theories and practices.
Towards a Cross-Cultural and Context-Sensitive UnderstandingAn increasing number of s cholars have called for a deeper examination of psychological safety across cultures and contexts. While recent research conducted outside North America and beyond typical business settings confirms many of its positive effects, significant gaps remain.In particular:
  • We lack comparative studies examining psychological safety across mu ltiple countries
  • The influence of cultural and organization al norms on interpersonal risk-taking remains insufficiently understo od
  • It is unclear whether existing definitions and measureme nt instruments are universally valid
  • Limited attention has been paid to contexts characterized by high power distance or lower t olerance for risk
  • Conceptual development is needed regardin g context-sensitive mechanisms regarding the development and effects of psychological safety
These gaps highlight the need to fur ther a cross-cultural and context-sensitive understanding of the form s, emergence, erosion, and effects of psychological safety.Through th is Call for Papers, we invite contributions that explore and advance research on psychological safety across cultures and contexts. We par ticularly encourage submissions that integrate theoretical, empi rical, and practical perspectives.
Example Questions for C onsiderationContributions may address, but are not limited t o, the following questions:
  • How do the form, emergence, eros ion and effect of psychological safety vary across cultural and insti tutional contexts?
  • What are the key mechanisms that explain differences in the development and effects of psychological safety a cross contexts?
  • To what extent is psychological safety a cu lturally bound versus a universal construct?
  • How do cultura l dimensions and contextual conditions (e.g., power distance, collect ivism, uncertainty avoidance) or cultural values (e.g., the Schwarz t ypology of values) shape interpersonal risk-taking?
  • Should the definition and measurement of psychological safety be adapted to different cultural settings?
  • How do individuals perceive an d navigate interpersonal risk in high power-distance environments?
  • What are effective strategies for fostering psychological saf ety in multicultural and global teams?
  • How do leadership st yles and organizational structures influence psychological safety acr oss cultures?
  • How can different organizations balance psych ological safety with accountability, hierarchy, and performance deman ds?
  • What methodological approaches are best suited for stud ying psychological safety in cross-cultural and context-sensitive res earch?
  • How do cultural norms influence speaking-up climates and employee voice?
  • What role does psychological safety pl ay in global collaboration, innovation, and learning?
  • How c an organizations design interventions that are sensitive to cultural differences while promoting inclusive environments?
Conference FeesFull conference fee €350
PhD students fe e €250Organizing CommitteeIrina Prosviriakova, i.prosviriakova@student.vu.nl
Prof. dr. Svetlana Khapova, s.n.khapova@vu.nl
Dr. Steven van Ba arle, s.van.baarle@vu.nl
Prof. dr.ir. Elco van Burg, elco.van.burg@vu.nl
Dr. Sheba Agarwal, s.agarwal@vu.nl END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR