Keynote Speaker
Amy Edmondson (Harvard Business School)
This conference aims to advance contemporary thinking on psychological safety by examining its cultural foundations and its relevance across diverse organizational and societal contexts. We invite researchers from around the world working on psychological safety to submit and present their research.
Important Dates
- Submission deadline for Abstracts (1000 words): 30 May 2026
- Notification of acceptance: 15 June 2026
- Submission deadline for Full Papers: 1 September 2026
- Conference dates: 29–30 September 2026
Submission Details
Please 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 priority in contemporary organizations. Psychological safety, defined as a shared belief 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 psychological safety:
- Enhances learning from mistakes
- Improves innovation and process effectiveness
- Increases employee engagement
- Facilitates knowledge sharing and open communication
- Supports team and organizational performance
As such, psychological safety has become a foundational concept in organizational behavior and management research.
However, despite this strong evidence, current debates remain largely grounded in Western-centric assumptions, particularly those derived from studies conducted in the United States and similar cultural 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 characteristics.
As a result, important questions arise regarding the contextual influences on the understanding and effects of psychological safety. Much of our current understanding may be constrained by implicit cultural assumptions, limiting its applicability in diverse global settings.
This conference seeks to advance research on psychological safety by integrating cross-cultural perspectives with organizational practice. By critically examining how psychological safety is shaped by cross-cultural and other contextual conditions (e.g., organizational values) , we aim to foster new insights that move beyond dominant Western frameworks 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 scholars 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 multiple countries
- The influence of cultural and organizational norms on interpersonal risk-taking remains insufficiently understood
- It is unclear whether existing definitions and measurement instruments are universally valid
- Limited attention has been paid to contexts characterized by high power distance or lower tolerance for risk
- Conceptual development is needed regarding context-sensitive mechanisms regarding the development and effects of psychological safety
These gaps highlight the need to further a cross-cultural and context-sensitive understanding of the forms, emergence, erosion, and effects of psychological safety.
Through this Call for Papers, we invite contributions that explore and advance research on psychological safety across cultures and contexts. We particularly encourage submissions that integrate theoretical, empirical, and practical perspectives.
Example Questions for Consideration
Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following questions:
- How do the form, emergence, erosion and effect of psychological safety vary across cultural and institutional contexts?
- What are the key mechanisms that explain differences in the development and effects of psychological safety across contexts?
- To what extent is psychological safety a culturally bound versus a universal construct?
- How do cultural dimensions and contextual conditions (e.g., power distance, collectivism, uncertainty avoidance) or cultural values (e.g., the Schwarz typology of values) shape interpersonal risk-taking?
- Should the definition and measurement of psychological safety be adapted to different cultural settings?
- How do individuals perceive and navigate interpersonal risk in high power-distance environments?
- What are effective strategies for fostering psychological safety in multicultural and global teams?
- How do leadership styles and organizational structures influence psychological safety across cultures?
- How can different organizations balance psychological safety with accountability, hierarchy, and performance demands?
- What methodological approaches are best suited for studying psychological safety in cross-cultural and context-sensitive research?
- How do cultural norms influence speaking-up climates and employee voice?
- What role does psychological safety play in global collaboration, innovation, and learning?
- How can organizations design interventions that are sensitive to cultural differences while promoting inclusive environments?
Conference Fees
Full conference fee €350
PhD students fee €250
Organizing Committee
Irina Prosviriakova, 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
