Many people misunderstand psychological safety to mean being nice or avoiding conflict, or letting performance standards slide. Managers frequently struggle to balance safety and accountability, viewing them as opposing forces. This dichotomy creates a false choice for leaders: should they prioritise empathy or performance? Is it possible to foster a culture that is both high performing and allows for vulnerability and mistakes?
But what if we stopped viewing them as separate levers to balance and started seeing them as interdependent forces in a living system? In a thriving ecosystem, elements don’t compete—they evolve together. Any natural system doesn’t choose between stability and growth; it needs both. Safety without accountability can lead to complacency and a lack of growth. Accountability without safety breeds fear and silence. When these forces are treated as antagonistic, culture becomes brittle—lopsided in one direction or the other. A balanced organisational system must be rooted in trust and openness while continually learning through clarity, responsibility, and feedback.
So, how can organisations put this balancing act into practice?
Trust, Trust, and Trust
At the heart of every thriving culture is trust—not control. It’s tempting for organisations to build systems that manage behaviour through rules, oversight, and incentives. But in dynamic, creative environments, control has diminishing returns. Trust, on the other hand, unlocks initiative, openness, and shared responsibility. When people trust their leaders and peers, they feel safe to speak up, take risks, and own their work.
Google’s Project Aristotle, a landmark study on what makes teams effective, found that psychological safety was the top predictor of team success. But just as important were other key elements of trust, especially dependability. Team members needed to believe that their colleagues would follow through on commitments and deliver quality work on time. Managers can foster dependability by clarifying roles and responsibilities and developing concrete project plans to provide transparency into every individual’s work. When people know they can count on one another, and how much everyone has on their plate, they’re more likely to take risks, admit mistakes, and push boundaries, knowing the team won’t let them fall.
Netflix offers a vivid example of this trust-driven model in action. Their cultural philosophy is built upon a ‘dream team’ that practices context not control, giving their teams the context and clarity needed to make good decisions. By eliminating excessive rules and trusting people to use judgment, they create a workplace where accountability is internalised rather than imposed. This mutual trust fuels creativity, speed, and high standards—not by policing behaviour, but by aligning people through shared purpose and dependable relationships.’
Set Collective Purpose
A narrative is important in organisations because it gives people something to believe in, not just something to do. While numbers tell what’s happening—revenue, engagement, deadlines—they don’t tell you why it matters or where you’re going.
IDEO, the global design and innovation firm, understands this deeply. They treat culture as something you prototype and iterate—just like a product. Teams use narrative tools like journey mapping, customer storytelling, and cultural ethnography to explore how their values are actually experienced. Leaders don’t just measure KPIs. They make an active effort to understand their employees by implementing events and activities that promote connection, such as storytelling sessions and communal lunches, to reinforce a sense of belonging.
Safety through honesty
In high-functioning teams, candour is not only allowed but expected. People can challenge ideas, express dissent, and surface difficult truths without fear of humiliation or punishment. This kind of safety allows the organisation to confront issues and evolve in real time. A simple question like, “What am I missing?”—asks and answered regardless of hierarchy, can turn a performance review into a learning opportunity for everyone involved.
Patagonia, the outdoor apparel company, has become a global symbol of business integrity—not just because of its environmental stance, but because of how deeply it aligns its actions with its values. From the beginning, founder Yvon Chouinard embedded honesty and responsibility into the company’s DNA. Patagonia’s internal culture encourages employees to speak up, question decisions, and hold the company accountable to its mission—even when it’s uncomfortable.
One powerful example is how the company transparently communicates about its supply chain challenges. Instead of hiding imperfections, Patagonia openly shares where it falls short in sustainability and what it’s doing to improve. This culture of transparency builds trust both internally and externally. Employees know their voices matter, and customers see the brand as credible because it doesn’t pretend to be perfect.
Accountability through collective and individual responsibility
Accountability shouldn’t be about blame, micromanagement, or punitive measures. It should be about a shared understanding of team commitments, clarity around roles, and a willingness to learn from results.
Atlassian, the global software company, exemplifies this approach. They use open project boards, reiterate responsibilities, and peer feedback to foster ownership and transparency. Teams reflect regularly on what’s working and what isn’t—not in a way that shames, but in a way that sharpens. They recommend using an ‘accountability dial’ by management guide Jonathan Raymond, to understand when to take action and how far to take it, depending on the severity of the situation. The dial has five stages: The mention, the invitation, the conversation, the boundary, and the limit. Each step increases in clarity and consequence, helping leaders address behaviour early and compassionately.
The challenge for modern organisations is not to choose between safety and accountability, but to cultivate the conditions where both can thrive together. Discipline with vulnerability is an incredibly potent cultural combination which can help organisations build profitable and sustainable futures.