Psychological Safety in MENA: Insights from Our Regional HR Leadership Roundtable

In October, Cosmic Centaurs hosted a closed roundtable for HR and organizational leaders across the MENA region, led by our team alongside Sander Hoeken, Co-Founder of The Fearless Organization. Together, we explored how psychological safety is evolving in workplaces across the region, grounding the discussion in global research by Professor Amy Edmondson and data from the Fearless Organization Scan, the world’s leading tool for measuring psychological safety within teams.

Across the session, leaders shared challenges, insights, and lived experiences while examining what global evidence reveals about how psychological safety impacts performance, innovation, retention, and decision-making. What emerged was a clear message: psychological safety is no longer a theoretical concept, it is a measurable capability with direct implications for how organizations in the MENA region grow and thrive.

Below are some of the insights discussed. 

Global Insights: What the Data Shows

With over 100,000 participants worldwide, the Fearless Organization Scan provides one of the richest datasets on psychological safety today. The global findings highlight several consistent themes:

1. Psychological safety thrives when paired with accountability.

Psychological safety alone isn’t enough. It needs to be paired with clear goals and accountability to drive real learning and performance. Teams that combine openness with high standards operate in the “learning zone,” where innovation and growth happen.

2. Despite global disruption, psychological safety levels remain stable.

Since 2019, through a pandemic, remote work shifts, and major economic changes, psychological safety scores have not significantly changed. Differences in age, gender, or personality type show minimal impact. 

3. Leaders and employees experience safety differently.

Leaders consistently score their teams higher than team members do. This perception gap reveals hidden risks and blind spots especially around inclusion, speaking up, and failure.

4. The Scan measures team norms, not personal traits.

Questions are phrased in the third person (“In this team…”) to reflect the reality that psychological safety is a team property. This approach helps identify systemic patterns rather than isolated individual feelings.

5. Psychological safety doesn’t come naturally.

Humans instinctively avoid behaviors that could expose them to judgment. That’s why psychological safety requires intentional leadership, consistent practice, and explicit reinforcement.

6. Team-level safety drives higher organizational performance.

High psychological safety at the team level is linked to lower quitting intentions, stronger commitment, improved problem-solving, and higher engagement.

Regional Insights: The MENA Context

The roundtable discussions highlighted how cultural, structural, and organizational norms in the MENA region uniquely influence how psychological safety is understood and practiced.

1. Growth has historically overshadowed culture.

Many organizations are still in rapid expansion mode. Leaders focus heavily on delivery, which means trust, learning, and human dynamics sometimes follow rather than lead strategic priorities.

2. Multicultural teams add complexity.

Especially in markets like the UAE, hundreds of nationalities work together — each bringing different communication norms, feedback expectations, and attitudes toward hierarchy. This diversity increases the need for cultural intelligence when building psychological safety.

3. Measurement remains limited.

Most organizations rely on engagement surveys, which reflect sentiment but not the team-level dynamics where psychological safety actually lives.

4. Language needs contextualization.

In industries where physical safety and compliance are central - like oil & gas or healthcare - terms like “psychological safety” or “risk-taking” can be misunderstood. Reframing the concept around learning and continuous improvement is essential; otherwise, assessments may capture confusion rather than actual team dynamics.

5. Human-centered industries rely on it.

Where value creation depends on collaboration - consulting, client service, education, healthcare - psychological safety directly influences the quality of decisions, solutions, and performance.

6. Speaking the language of performance matters.

Across sectors, leaders resonate most when psychological safety is linked to outcomes they already care about: retention, innovation, and productivity.

Moving Forward: Bringing Psychological Safety to Your Organization

Psychological safety is not built through a single workshop, it emerges through consistent rituals, leadership behaviors, structures, and systems that reinforce openness and trust.

👉 If you’re ready to measure and strengthen psychological safety in your teams, reach out to explore our programs and the Fearless Organization Scan.

You can download and read the full report here.

Cosmic Centaurs is the only certified provider of the Fearless Organization Scan and the official Arabic language partner for this globally recognized tool in the MENA region.