PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY EXPERIENCES OF HR LEADERS IN THE BURSA AUTOMOTIVE CLUSTER: A QUALITATIVE INQUIRY ON MOBBING, EXCLUSION, AND PARTICIPATION

Abstract

Purpose- While psychological safety is widely recognized as a foundational driver of team learning, open voice, and sustainable organizational performance, its distinct operational realities within high-pressure, manufacturing-intensive corporate sectors remain underdeveloped in qualitative literature. This study explicitly aims to investigate how interpersonal risk-taking, safe communication, and systemic workplace trust are dynamically experienced, constructed, and negotiated by human resource leaders operating within the complex automotive manufacturing ecosystem of Bursa, Türkiye. Methodology- Adopting a rigorous qualitative, interpretive, and descriptive inquiry paradigm, this empirical research explores the lived experiences of 15 HR leaders across various organizational seniority levels and managerial roles within the Bursa automotive supply chain. Data were gathered through semi-structured, in-depth interviews and subjected to thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The approach prioritizes rich, contextualized descriptions over statistical generalizations, capturing socio-structural nuances of a high-stakes manufacturing environment. Trustworthiness was ensured via Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) criteria and the COREQ checklist. Findings- Narratives demonstrate that psychological safety is a structurally conditioned phenomenon heavily constrained by autocratic governance, family-business politics, and institutional power dynamics. HR leaders navigate a persistent paradox between strategic partnership expectations and administrative compliance, inducing strategic self-censorship. Punitive error cultures trigger defensiveness, while learning-oriented climates foster accountability. Team solidarity serves as a buffer but remains vulnerable to political manipulation and toxicity. Systematic marginalization, organizational bypassing, and information withholding persist across all echelons, indicating that seniority provides insufficient protection against exclusion. Conclusion- Cultivating psychological safety for HR leaders requires systemic interventions beyond individual interactions. Organizations must dismantle punitive feedback loops, formalize safeguards against bypassing, and institutionalize participative leadership to preserve managerial autonomy and professional legitimacy. The study is limited to a single industrial cluster and cross-sectional design

Keywords

• Psychological safety
• Bursa automotive cluster
• HR leadership
• workplace exclusion
• error management culture

References

1. Bennett, H., McCracken, M., O’Kane, P., & Brown, T. (2024). The elusiveness of strategic HR partnering: Using paradox theory to understand tensions surrounding the HR business partnering role. Human Resource Management Journal, 34(4), 942–959. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748- 8583.12538
2. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
3. Casprini, E., Palumbo, R., & De Massis, A. (2024). Untangling the yarn: A contextualization of human resource management to the family firm setting. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 15(3), 100621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfbs.2024.100621
4. Cayrat, C., & Boxall, P. (2023). The roles of the HR function: A systematic review of tensions, continuity and change. Human Resource Management Review, 33(4), 100984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2023.100984
5. Dheer, R. J. S., Terpstra-Tong, J., Treviño, L., Ralston, D. A., Tjemkes, B., ... & Alas, R. (2026). Impact of organizational culture on employee psychological safety perception: The pivotal role of trust in top management across 18 societies. International Business Review, 35(1), 102523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2025.102523
6. Dong, R. K., Li, X., & Roxas, H. B. (2024). Psychological safety and psychosocial safety climate in workplace: A bibliometric analysis and systematic review towards a research agenda. Journal of Safety Research, 91, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2024.08.001
7. Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999
8. Edmondson, A. C., & Bransby, D. P. (2023). Psychological safety comes of age: Observed themes in an established literature. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10, 55–78. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-120920-055217

9. 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, 23–43. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091305
10. Einarsen, S. (2000). Harassment and bullying at work: A review of the Scandinavian approach. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 5(4), 379– 401. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1359-1789(98)00043-3
11. 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. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12183
12. Kim, B. (2024). Workplace violence and harassment: An umbrella review of synthesis studies. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 78, 101981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2024.101981
13. Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications. Morrison, E. W. (2023). Employee voice and silence: Taking stock a decade later. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10, 79–107. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-120920-054654
14. Salin, D. (2003). Ways of explaining workplace bullying: A review of enabling, motivating and precipitating structures and processes in the work environment. Human Relations, 56(10), 1213–1232. https://doi.org/10.1177/00187267035610003
15. Van Dyck, C., Frese, M., Baer, M., & Sonnentag, S. (2005). Organizational error management culture and its impact on performance: A two study replication. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(6), 1228–1240. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.90.6.1228