Abstract Gerlach

Psychological safety describes a trusting and accepting group atmosphere, where group members are not afraid to speak their mind. It is associated with positive outcomes such as increased job engagement, job satisfaction, and group performance. Conflicts are critical events in groups. As such they should shape perceptions of psychological safety. Previous research has shown the numerous negative effects of conflict on group outcomes. However, being close to the principal (what we call belonging to the principal’s in-group) should dampen the negative effects of task conflict on psychological safety, because it is associated with better understanding of problems and needs, more access to benefits, and a more effective working relationship.
In this study, we tested the effects of relationship and task conflict on psychological safety in teaching staff thereby taking into account subgroup emergence due to identity-based faultlines. We identified principal’s in-group and out-groups testing for cross level interactions. In a survey study, 155 teachers from 30 primary schools in Germany participated. Results of a multilevel model test showed that relationship conflict (but not task conflict) decreased perceptions of psychological safety. Members who belonged to the principal’s in-group reported higher psychological safety in the presence of frequent task conflict and in the presence of strong faultlines, compared to members of the out-group.
We present implications for teaching staff to bridge faultlines and to enhance the benefits from task conflicts and high psychological safety.