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Psychological safety is a key ingredient in how teams work, learn and lead. It affects how people speak up, share ideas, challenge each other and collaborate across boundaries.

In Beyond Talent: The Unseen Driver of High-Performing Teams, we hosted two live sessions exploring the often-overlooked dynamics that shape team performance. Both cover the same ground, but each brings a different mix of voices and examples. You can choose which version to watch, or view both.

> RELATED: Take a guided tour of a team report from our psychological safety psychometric, Collective Advantage →

Session one

This version brings a strategic lens. You’ll hear how psychological safety drives innovation, how trust and shared purpose shape team culture, and how leaders can build environments that support constructive challenge.​

Host

Emma Lee Chief Psychologist at Matthew Syed Consulting

Speakers

Matthew Syed
Denise Kirkham Founding Partner at Distinctive People HR & OD Consultancy
Nelson Derry People & Culture Transformation Leader

Key timestamps

02:09 – Context: a challenging landscape
03:08 – A perspective on teams today
05:52 – What is psychological safety?
15:33 – Our model of psychological safety
18:10 – Insight #1: Most employees and leaders agree that collaboration is important, but are unable to bridge the gap between teams
29:41 – Insight #2: Hierarchy and desire to maintain harmony pose a significant barrier to constructive challenge
38:58 – Insight #3: Many organisations say they want to innovate, but a fear of failure is holding them back
53:26 – Q&A
58:48 – Closing remarks by Matthew Syed​

Session two

This session focuses on practical tactics and lived experience. You’ll hear how Unipart uses psychometric data and pre-mortems to reduce fear of failure, and how vertical measurement can block collaboration. Discover how leaders unintentionally shut down challenge, and what to do instead.​​

Host

Darya Mishyna Principal Business Psychologist at Matthew Syed Consulting

Speakers

Matthew Syed
Denny Sharman Head of Group Organisational Development at Unipart
Chloe Walton Managing Director at The Connected Leaders

Key timestamps

00:39 – Context: a challenging landscape
04:09 – A perspective on teams today
06:58 – What is psychological safety?
14:21 – Our model of psychological safety
17:18 – Insight #1: Most employees and leaders agree that collaboration is important, but are unable to bridge the gap between teams
26:43 – Insight #2: Hierarchy and desire to maintain harmony pose a significant barrier to constructive challenge
34:06 – Insight #3: Many organisations say they want to innovate, but a fear of failure is holding them back
42:55 – Q&A
55:10 – Closing remarks by Matthew Syed

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