Creating a Culture of Psychological Safety: Empowering Teams to Thrive | Cultivate Communication’s Collaboration with MD Anderson

When we consider what elevates a workplace to a level where productivity, efficiency, and innovation thrive, we cannot overlook the critical role of psychological safety.

Last week, I had the privilege of connecting with staff, faculty, and employees within the Division of Internal Medicine at MD Anderson in Houston, TX, to discuss not only the importance of psychological safety in the workplace but also how organizations can cultivate a culture where it is prioritized.

Drawing inspiration from Google’s Project Aristotle and Pixar’s Braintrust meetings, I shared key strategies that can be seamlessly integrated into workplace environments. Additionally, I explored the strong link between psychological safety and social support—a concept we often associate more with personal relationships among friends, family, and partners. However, social support is just as vital in the workplace, especially when fostering mindful communication and collaboration among colleagues.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this experience was the opportunity to highlight the essential connection between social support and psychological safety. I am deeply grateful to Cara McCutcheon, Tricia White-Rhemtulla, and Julian Cavazos for their collaboration and for providing me with the space to engage with MD Anderson Division of Internal Medicine’s incredible faculty and staff.

This conversation is more important than ever. When organizations actively implement psychological safety as a core value, it doesn’t just benefit individual employees—it transforms team dynamics and drives overall workplace productivity, efficiency, and innovation.