Measurement of Perceived Psychological Safety: Integration, Review and Evidences for the Scale in the Context of Turkiye

Abstract

Psychological safety can predict many positive individual and organizational outcomes at work, and previous research addressed how psychological safety contributes to positive work attitudes and behaviors. In Turkey, there is quite an amount of research showing the contributing role of psychological safety perception on employees’ positive performance behaviors and organizational effectiveness and innovativeness. However, previous research in Turkey does not adequately show the reliability and validity of the psychological safety scale, which was developed by Edmondson (1999). Based on the suggested requirement, this study aimed to investigate the psychological safety perceptions of individuals who work in various sectors in Turkey. The adapted version of the psychological safety scale was used to gain evidence for the reliability and validity of the instrument in Turkey. In total, 585 individuals working in various industries and from various occupational groups participated in the research. Both exploratory factor analysis and the confirmatory factor analysis showed that Turkish adapted version of the psychological safety scale was valid and reliable.

Keywords

• Psychological Safety
• Scale Reliability
• Scale Validity
• Turkey

References

1. Arslan, A., & Yener, S. (2016). Okul Yöneticilerinin Güdüleyici Dili ve Öğretmen Örtük Bilgi Paylaşımı İlişkisinde İşgören Sesliliğinin Aracı Rolü ve Psikolojik Rahatlık Algısının Düzenleyici Rolü. 16. İstanbul Üniversitesi İşletme Kongresi, 26–29.
2. Baer, M., & Frese, M. (2003). Innovation is not enough: Climates for initiative and psychological safety, process innovations, and firm performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior: The International Journal of Industrial, Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Behavior, 24(1), 45–68.
3. Beyazıt, S. (2006). İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği ÇMİS OHSAJ 18001 Projesi. İş Hukuku ve Sosyal Güvenlik Hukuku Türk Milli Komitesi, 30.Bunderson, J. S., & Boumgarden, P. (2010). Structure and learning in self-managed teams: Why “bureaucratic” teams can be better learners. Organization Science, 21(3), 609–624.
4. Carmeli, A., & Gittell, J. H. (2009). High‐quality relationships, psychological safety, and learning from failures in work organizations.Journal of Organizational Behavior: The International Journal of Industrial, Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Behavior, 30(6), 709–729.
5. Carmeli, A., Reiter-Palmon, R., & Ziv, E. (2010). Inclusive leadership and employee involvement in creative tasks in the workplace: The mediating role of psychological safety. Creativity Research Journal, 22(3), 250–260.
6. Carmeli, A., Tishler, A., & Edmondson, A. C. (2012). ‘CEO relational leadership and strategic decision quality in top management teams: the role of team trust and learning from failure’. Strategic Organization, 10, 31–54.
7. Chen, B., Van Assche, J., Vansteenkiste, M., Soenens, B., & Beyers, W. (2015). Does psychological need satisfaction matter when environmental or financial safety are at risk?. Journal of Happiness Studies, 16(3), 745–766.
8. Chughtai, A. A. (2016). Servant leadership and follower outcomes: Mediating effects of organizational identification and psychological safety. The Journal of Psychology, 150(7), 866–880.

9. Collins, C. J., & Smith, K. G. (2006). Knowledge exchange and combination: The role of human resource practices in the performance of high-technology firms. Academy of Management Journal, 49(3), 544–560.
10. Delizonna, L. (2017). High-performing teams need psychological safety. Here’s how to create It. Harvard Business Review, 8, 1–5.
11. Derin, N. (2017). İşyerinde kişiler arası güven ile işgören sesliliği arasındaki ilişkide psikolojik rahatlığın aracılık rolü. Yönetim Bilimleri Dergisi/Journal of Administrative Sciences, 15(30), 51–68.
12. Detert, J. R., & Burris, E. R. (2007). Leadership behavior and employee voice: Is the door really open?.Academy of Management Journal, 50(4), 869–884.
13. Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383.
14. Edmondson, A. C. (2002). Managing the risk of learning: Psychological safety in work teams(pp. 255-275). Cambridge, MA: Division of Research, Harvard Business School.
15. Edmondson, A. C., & Lei, Z. (2014). Psychological safety: The history, renaissance, and future of an interpersonal construct.Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior,1(1), 23–43.
16. Frazier, M. L., Fainshmidt, S., Klinger, R. L., Pezeshkan, A., & Vracheva, V. (2017). Psychological safety: A meta‐analytic review and extension. Personnel Psychology, 70(1), 113–165.
17. García-Herrero, S., Mariscal, M. A., García-Rodríguez, J., & Ritzel, D. O. (2012). Working conditions, psychological/physical symptoms and occupational accidents. Bayesian network models. Safety Science, 50(9), 1760–1774.
18. Guchait, P., Lee, C., Wang, C. Y., & Abbott, J. L. (2016). Impact of error management practices on service recovery performance and helping behaviors in the hospitality industry: The mediating effects of psychological safety and learning behaviors. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 15(1), 1–28.
19. Hair, J., Black, W., Babin, B. & Anderson, R. (2010). Multivariate Data Analysis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Pearson Education.Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1), 2307–0919.
20. İşiaçık, S. (2019). The impact of perceived corporate social responsibility and workplace spirituality on innovative work behaviors: the role of psychological safet y perception (Unpublished Master’s thesis). Marmara University Social Sciences Institute, İstanbul.
21. Kahn WA. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal, 33, 692–724.
22. Kessel, M., Kratzer, J., & Schultz, C. (2012). Psychological safety, knowledge sharing, and creative performance in healthcare teams. Creativity and Innovation Management, 21(2), 147–157.
23. Kline, R. B. (2015). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. Guilford publications.
24. Kostopoulos, K. C., & Bozionelos, N. (2011). Team exploratory and exploitative learning: Psychological safety, task conflict, and team performance. Group & Organization Management, 36(3), 385–415.
25. Lazarus, R. S. (1966). Psychological stress and the coping process. McGraw-Hill.Liang, J., Farh, C. I., & Farh, J. L. (2012). Psychological antecedents of promotive and prohibitive voice: A two-wave examination.Academy of Management Journal, 55(1), 71–92.
26. Madera, J. M., Kapoor, C. E., Kapoor, C., & Solomon, N. (2011). Understanding and managing generational differences in the workplace. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes.
27. Maslow, A. H. (1943). Preface to motivation theory. Psychosomatic Medicine.
28. Narter, S. (2015). İş Kazası ve Meslek Hastalığında Hukuki ve Cezai Sorumluluk. Ankara: Adalet Yayınevi.
29. Netemeyer, R. G., Bearden, W. O., & Sharma, S. (2003). Scaling procedures: Issues and applications. Sage Publications.
30. Newman, A., Donohue, R., & Eva, N. (2017). Psychological safety: A systematic review of the literature. Human Resource Management Review, 27(3), 521–535.
31. Nunnally, J.C. & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.), McGraw-Hill, NY.
32. Rybowiak, V., Garst, H., Frese, M., & Batinic, B. (1999). Error orientation questionnaire (EOQ): Reliability, validity, and different language equivalence. Journal of Organizational Behavior: The International Journal of Industrial, Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Behavior, 20(4), 527–547.
33. Schaubroeck, J., Lam, S. S. K., & Peng, A. C. (2011). Cognition-based and affect-based trust as mediators of leader behavior influences on team performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(4), 863–871
34. Schein, E. H., & Bennis, W. G. (1965). Personal and organizational change through group methods: The laboratory approach. New York: Wiley.Schein, E. H. (1993). On dialogue, culture, and organizational learning. Organizational Dynamics, 22(2), 40–51.
35. Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: the art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Doubleday/Currency.
36. Siemsen, E., Roth, A. V., Balasubramanian, S., & Anand, G. (2009). The influence of psychological safety and confidence in knowledge on employee knowledge sharing. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 11(3), 429–447.
37. Solnet, D., & Hood, A. (2008). Generation Y as hospitality employees: Framing a research agenda. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 15(1), 59–68.Şimşek, Ö. F. (2007). Yapısal eşitlik modellemesine giriş:(temel ilkeler ve LISREL uygulamaları). Ekinoks.
38. Taştan, S, & İşı̇açık, S. (2020). Kurumsal sosyal sorumluluk algısı ve yenilikçi iş davranışları arasındaki ilişkide psikolojik güvenlik algısının rolünün incelenmesi. International Journal of Management and Administration, 4 (7), 84–99.
39. Terry, D. J., Nielsen, M., & Perchard, L. (1993). Effects of work stress on psychological well‐being and job satisfaction: The stress‐buffering role of social support. Australian Journal of Psychology, 45(3), 168–175.
40. Tsaur, S. H., & Tang, Y. Y. (2012). Job stress and well-being of female employees in hospitality: The role of regulatory leisure coping styles. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 31(4), 1038–1044.
41. Turgut, T., & Erden, N. S. (2013). Olumsuz test ifadelerinin iç tutarlılığa ve faktör yapısına etkileri. Istanbul University Journal of the School of Business Administration, 42(2), 1–25.
42. Üçok, D. I. (2016). The relatıonshıp of group cohesıveness, psychologıcal safety, control over work, and competıtıve work envıronment wıth organızatıonal sılence:the medıatıng role of motıves of sılence. (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation). Marmara University Social Sciences Institute, İstanbul.
43. Üçok, Ö. G. D. I., & Torun, A. A. (2016). The relationship of group cohesiveness, psychological safety, control over work, and competitive work environment with organizational silence: The mediating role of motives of silence.Uluslararası İşletme, Ekonomi ve Yönetim Perspektifleri Dergisi, 4, 62–80.
44. Wanless, S. B. (2016). The role of psychological safety in human development. Research in Human Development, 13(1), 6–14.
45. Walumbwa, F. O., & Schaubroeck, J. (2009). Leader personality traits and employee voice behavior: mediating roles of ethical leadership and work group psychological safety. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(5), 1275.
46. Yener, S. (2015). Psikolojik Rahatlık Ölçeğinin Türkçe Formunun Geçerlik ve Güvenilirlik Çalışması. ODÜ Sosyal Bilimler Araştırmaları Dergisi, 5(13), 280–305.
47. Yener, S. (2017). The Mediating Role of Psychological Safety Between Social Gender Perception and Feminine Role Stress.Uluslararası Yönetim İktisat ve İşletme Dergisi, 13(4), 819–831.
48. Zhang, Y., Fang, Y., Wei, K. K., & Chen, H. (2010). Exploring the role of psychological safety in promoting the intention to continue sharing knowledge in virtual communities. International Journal of Information Management, 30(5), 425–436.