Overview
Psychological safety refers to a shared belief that individuals can speak up, share ideas, ask questions, and admit mistakes without fear of embarrassment, punishment, or retaliation. In today’s dynamic and collaborative work environments, fostering psychological safety is essential for innovation, engagement, learning, and high performance.
This module explores the principles and practices that help leaders and teams create an environment where employees feel respected, valued, and empowered to contribute fully. Participants will learn actionable strategies to cultivate trust, encourage open dialogue, and build a culture of inclusion and continuous improvement.
Learning Objectives
By attending this seminar, participants will be able to:
- Define psychological safety and explain its impact on team performance.
- Recognize behaviors that promote or undermine psychological safety.
- Demonstrate leadership practices that encourage openness and trust.
- Apply communication techniques that support constructive dialogue.
- Develop strategies to address fear, blame, and silence within teams.
- Create an action plan to strengthen psychological safety in their workplace.
Content
The webinar will cover the following topics:
- Understanding Psychological Safety
- Definition and key concepts
- The difference between comfort and psychological safety
- The role of trust and respect
- Benefits of psychologically safe workplaces (innovation, engagement, learning)
- Common myths and misconceptions
- The Business Case for Psychological Safety
- Link to employee engagement and retention
- Impact on collaboration and creativity
- Reduction of errors through open reporting
- Encouraging continuous improvement
- Strengthening team resilience during change
- Leadership Behaviors that Foster Safety
- Modeling vulnerability and humility
- Admitting mistakes and sharing lessons learned
- Inviting diverse perspectives
- Responding constructively to feedback
- Avoiding blame-oriented language
- Communication Practices that Build Trust
- Active listening and empathy
- Asking open-ended questions
- Encouraging participation from all team members
- Managing conflict respectfully
- Providing balanced and constructive feedback
- Identifying and Addressing Barriers
- Fear of judgment or retaliation
- Hierarchical barriers
- Cultural or diversity-related challenges
- Past negative experiences
- Lack of clarity in expectations
- Accountability and Psychological Safety
- Distinguishing safety from leniency
- Setting clear expectations and standards
- Holding individuals accountable with respect
- Promoting a learning mindset after mistakes
- Encouraging solution-focused discussions
- Creating a Sustainable Culture of Safety
- Establishing team norms and agreements
- Regular feedback and check-ins
- Anonymous input channels when appropriate
- Measuring team climate and engagement
- Continuous reinforcement of inclusive behaviors
About the Presenter
Liezel van Arkel
Liezel completed an undergraduate degree in law at the University of Pretoria in 1995, and an MBA through Edinburgh Business School (Cum Laude) in 2010. She founded and ran her own retail business for 11 years. After selling that business in 2011, Liezel started a new career with WorldsView Academy.
Initially leading the consulting division, she became a shareholder and served as CEO from 2016-2025. Now in a senior partner role, Liezel brings a broad and practical understanding of entrepreneurialism, intrepreneurialism, and contemporary business issues to her work.
Liezel’s passion for everything Organisation Development is evident in her work, and she believes her strongest talent lies in working with groups, especially team and leadership development. She has worked on many consulting and development projects in many different industries including financial institutions, hospitality, FMCG and Higher Education.
Areas of interest include Organisational Culture, the Enneagram, Business Acumen, Business Partnering, Management, Leadership and Team Development.
Who Should Attend?
The following persons will benefit from attending this webinar:
- HR practitioners
- Line managers and supervisors
- Consultants and facilitators
- Recent graduates entering the OD or HR field
- Individuals seeking to build change-leadership capability
Price
- R 450.00 - Online admission - Individual.
- Group Price 1 - From R337 per person (up to 5 users)
- Group Price 2 - From R260 per person (up to 10 users)
- Group Price 3 - From R224 per person (over 11 users)
Steps to Register for the Event:
- If you already have a profile, login and register for the webinar.
- If you don’t have a profile, create a free profile then login and register for the webinar.
- Click here to create a free profile (There is no charge to create a profile).
Additional Material
By attending this webinar you will be provided with:
- A summarised slide presentation.
- Reference documents and / or course material where available.
- You can ask questions during the webinar and you will also have access to the presenter after the webinar
Corporate Training Solutions
At the Academy for Organisational Change (AOC), we recognise the evolving needs of businesses in today's dynamic environment. We provide tailored corporate training solutions designed to empower your team with the latest in Organisational Development and Change. Whether you're looking for online sessions or structured virtual learning, our programs are crafted to ensure a comprehensive and engaging learning experience.
Drawing inspiration from modern training methodologies, our corporate solutions are interactive, adaptable, and focused on real-world applications. We bridge theory and practice with intentional design, equipping students with tools, frameworks, and competencies they can apply immediately in organisational settings.
Interested in a bespoke corporate training experience? Reach out to us at leonard@organisationalchange.co.za or call 010 880 3980. Together, let's design a training program that elevates your team's capabilities and aligns with your organisational goals.
Contact Us
Have any questions or need any assistance? Contact us today!
- Phone: 010 880 3980
- E-mail: registrar@organisationalchange.co.za