Academic Ideas Don’t Always Translate to the Real World.
“A shared belief that it is safe to take an interpersonal risk.” This is the definition of psychological safety by Amy Edmondson.
In Japan, where I work, this definition needs a 2nd belief: an individual belief that it’s okay to take interpersonal risks without permission (self-permission).
Without it, safety remains a lever controlled from above. The hierarchy is unchanged. It’s just less aggressive. Kind-hearted leaders diligently direct traffic while everyone waits for permission—even as leaders hope people will exercise self-permission.
But people need relatable, human language. So I guide dialogues on fear. People get fear. It doesn’t feel like a buzzword salad.
Everyone experiences fear. But who deals with it? If others make you less afraid, that’s externally provided safety. By learning to act on your own even when afraid, you can develop internally generated safety.
Both matter. If you rely on others to feel safe, what happens with someone unfamiliar, rude, or genuinely dangerous?
Internal safety gives everyone something to develop, not just leaders. It shifts their thinking closer to what Amy Edmondson, who popularized the term "Psychological Safety", writes about.
Technically, I’m trying to help them believe it’s okay to take an interpersonal risk without permission … but I don’t want them to fall asleep on me.
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