This comment highlights both the need for what the article is advocating for AND why the waters here will always be treacherous; there will always be a push and

This comment highlights both the need for what the article is advocating for AND why the waters here will always be treacherous; there will always be a push and pull. To be effective, a team needs to be able to communicate freely, and each individual needs to be able to speak freely. But there’s a lot of power dynamics at play, not just in the team, but external to the team. This is also why minorities are especially cursed in work environments: it’s not just that some folks might actually have prejudices against you based on your identity, it’s also that some folks might have prejudices against you based on your identity, and so you watch what you say and/or try not to be too assertive or contentious and/or wonder if some poorly worded comment was intended as a slur or not...and the smart manager is also cursed, because they may feel that they too need to be careful not to be too assertive or contentious, lest they draw attention from HR or a lawsuit. Successful teams require mutual respect and brave communication. “Psychological safety” is a term that feels correct to me in the abstract, but very wrong as an applied concept for the workplace. I think “cultivating mutual respect and open communication” is probably a better framing.