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:2026/psychological-safety-acro@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573 CREATED:20260425T142332 LOCATION:School of Business and Economics for Professionals Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam De Boelelaan 1105 1081 HV AMSTERDAM SUMMARY:Psychological Safety Across Cultures and Contexts X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

We are excited to annou nce that the international conference Psychological Safety Across Cu ltures and Contexts will be held in Amsterdam on 29–30 September 2 026.

Keynote Speaker

Amy Edmondson (Harvar d Business School)


This conference aims to advanc e contemporary thinking on psychological safety by examining its cult ural foundations and its relevance across diverse organizational and societal contexts. We invite researchers from around the world workin g on psychological safety to submit and present their research.
Important Dates

Submission Details

Plea se submit your Abstracts via: VU Leadership Academy, leadershipacademy@vu.nl

Background and Motivation

Creating psychologically safe environments for employees is widely regarded as a central prior ity in contemporary organizations. Psychological safety, defined as a shared belief about the consequences of taking interpersonal risks i n a given context (Edmondson, 1999), reflects the extent to which ind ividuals feel able to speak up, ask for help, challenge ideas, and co llaborate effectively.

A growing body of research demonstrates that psychological safety:

As such, psychological safety has become a foun dational concept in organizational behavior and management research.< /p>

However, despite this strong evidence, current debates remain l argely grounded in Western-centric assumptions, particularly tho se derived from studies conducted in the United States and similar cu ltural contexts. Moreover, most research on psychological safety has been done in the context of health delivery (Edmondson & Bransby, 2023), a setting that has typical organizational and institutional c haracteristics.

As a result, important questions arise regardin g the contextual influences on the understanding and effects of psychological safety. Much of our current understanding may be constr ained by implicit cultural assumptions, limiting its applicability in diverse global settings.

This conference seeks to advance rese arch on psychological safety by integrating cross-cultural persp ectives with organizational practice. By critically examining how psy chological safety is shaped by cross-cultural and other contextual co nditions (e.g., organizational values) , we aim to foster new insight s that move beyond dominant Western frameworks and contribute to more inclusive, context-sensitive, and globally relevant theories and pra ctices.

Towards a Cross-Cultural and Context-Sensitive Understanding

An increasing number of scholars have ca lled 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 ef fects, significant gaps remain.

In particular:

These gaps highlight the need to furt her a cross-cultural and context-sensitive understanding of the forms , emergence, erosion, and effects of psychological safety.

Thro ugh this Call for Papers, we invite contributions that explore and ad vance research on psychological safety across cultures and contexts. We particularly encourage submissions that integrate theoretical , empirical, and practical perspectives.

Example Questi ons for Consideration

Contributions may address, but a re not limited to, the following questions:

Conference Fees

Full conference fee €350
PhD students fee €250

Organizing Commi ttee

Irina Prosviriakova, i.prosviriakova@student.vu.nl
Prof. dr. Sve tlana Khapova, s.n.khapova@vu.nl
Dr. Steven van Baarle, s.va n.baarle@vu.nl
Prof. dr.ir. Elco van Burg, elco.van.burg@vu.nl
Dr. Sheba Agarwal, s.agarwal@vu.nl

DESCRIPTION:

Keynote Speaker

Amy Edmondson (Harva rd Business School)


This conference aims to advan ce contemporary thinking on psychological safety by examining its cul tural foundations and its relevance across diverse organizational and societal contexts. We invite researchers from around the world worki ng on psychological safety to submit and present their research.
< strong>Important Dates

Submission Details

Please submit your Abstracts via: VU Leadership Academy, leadershipacademy@vu.nl Backgr ound and Motivation Creating psychologically safe environmen ts for employees is widely regarded as a central priority in contempo rary organizations. Psychological safety, defined as a shared belief about the consequences of taking interpersonal risks in a given conte xt (Edmondson, 1999), reflects the extent to which individuals feel a ble to speak up, ask for help, challenge ideas, and collaborate effec tively. A growing body of research demonstrates that psychological sa fety: As s uch, psychological safety has become a foundational concept in organi zational behavior and management research. However, despite this stro ng evidence, current debates remain largely grounded in Western- centric assumptions, particularly those derived from studies conducte d in the United States and similar cultural contexts. Moreover, most research on psychological safety has been done in the context of heal th delivery (Edmondson & Bransby, 2023), a setting that has typic al organizational and institutional characteristics. As a result, imp ortant questions arise regarding the contextual influences on th e understanding and effects of psychological safety. Much of our curr ent understanding may be constrained by implicit cultural assumptions , 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 Understanding An increasing number of sch olars have called for a deeper examination of psychological safety ac ross cultures and contexts. While recent research conducted outside N orth America and beyond typical business settings confirms many of it s positive effects, significant gaps remain. In particular: These gaps highlight the need to fu rther a cross-cultural and context-sensitive understanding of the for ms, emergence, erosion, and effects of psychological safety. Through this Call for Papers, we invite contributions that explore and advanc e research on psychological safety across cultures and contexts. We p articularly encourage submissions that integrate theoretical, em pirical, and practical perspectives. Example Questions for Co nsideration Contributions may address, but are not limited t o, the following questions: Conference Fees Full conference fee €350
PhD students fee €250 Organizing Committee Irina Prosviriakova , i.prosviriakova@stud ent.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@v u.nl We are excited to announce that the international conference  Psychological Safety Across Cultures and Contexts will be held in Amsterdam on 29–30 September 2026. END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR