Project management & Agile practices

Psychological safety in
Lean project management

By fostering a psychologically safe environment, Lean project leaders are more likely to meet customers’ needs in preventing waste and optimising supply chains.

11 March 2025
Lydie Lambert, Senior Consultant

Article

Lean project managers who ensure psychological safety in their project team will have a competitive advantage in achieving excellent results. But just as importantly, their teams will collaborate better and thrive while working together.

Lean management principles were developed to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and improve overall productivity. In PMI Disciplined Agile, the Project Management Institute® states that Lean thinking begins with understanding what the customer values and which problems a customer needs to solve. For the best solutions and understandings, the role of psychological safety in stakeholder engagement is a critical one.

Understanding Lean manufacturing principles

Lean is centered around maximising value for customers by minimising waste and optimising processes. PMI describes Lean as “founded on two pillars: respect for people and continuous improvement”. So Lean project team members must learn continuously and systematically, spotting issues and risks with empowerment to solve problems quickly, thereby adhering to the one principle.

The other, respect for people, ensures that project teams are efficient and sustainable.

Lean requires the project manager to ensure everyone performs at their best. Varying elements in Lean require optimal thinking and performance from a project team. A few examples are:

5 whys – one of the techniques used root cause analysis which involves systematic research into the cause of an interruption in value stream, such as scope/budget creep or substandard quality.
Kaizen: a philosophy slash action plan for continual improvement that is incorporated into changes in processes and leads to better performance and quality in projects.
Visual management: A lean management method of communication that allows the transfer of information graphically with little training or prior understanding so that even a casual observer can receive and understand information.

These methodologies rely heavily on the active participation and engagement of stakeholders at all levels, and the project manager needs transparency to be accurate in carrying them out. This is where psychological safety becomes indispensable.

The role of psychological safety

Psychological safety, a term more recently made recognisable by Harvard Business School professor, Amy Edmondson, refers to a shared sense of safety in interpersonal risk-taking. In a psychologically safe work environment, individuals feel comfortable expressing ideas, asking questions, and admitting mistakes without fear of humiliation or retribution.

Psychological safety is crucial in Lean management because it:

Encourages open communication: Lean project management thrives on the free flow of information. Individuals must feel safe to voice their observations and suggest improvements. A psychologically safe environment ensures that everyone, from team members to stakeholders, can communicate openly, leading to better awareness of risk, more effective problem-solving, and more innovative solutions.
Fosters continuous improvement: Kaizen, or continuous improvement, requires a work culture where individuals are not afraid to experiment, fail, and learn from their mistakes. Psychological safety ensures that people in project teams are willing to take these risks, fostering a culture of constant learning and improvement.
Optimises stakeholder engagement: Engaged project members are more likely to be committed to the project purpose and objectives, and, therefore, to work collaboratively toward achieving them. When people feel psychologically safe, their engagement levels increase, which directly impacts the effectiveness of lean project management practices.

A well-known Google study surveying 180 of their most successful teams, found that psychological safety was the most important factor among the highest performing teams. Additionally, research published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior highlighted that teams with higher psychological safety are more likely to engage in learning behaviors, which are crucial for the continuous improvement processes integral to Lean management.

It is safe to conclude that Lean project managers and their project members stand to glean even more value employing Lean principles and methodology when they work in a psychologically safe project team.

3 basic steps to psychological safety that project leaders can implement to succeed with Lean projects:

1

Promote a culture of trust:

Encourage transparency and create an environment where project team members feel comfortable sharing ideas and feedback without fear of negative consequences. People must be able to speak their minds clearly and honestly and maintain respect for each other and diversity of perspectives. Consistently demonstrate integrity as a project manager and set the tone for shared responsibility and trust.

2

Reward responsible risk-taking and learning:

Recognise and reward individuals who take initiative. Emphasise learning and growth over perfection. Lead by example and speak openly about lessons learned. Create structures to systematise this behaviour and recognition.

3

Foster inclusive dialogue:

Ensure that all voices are heard, and diverse perspectives are valued. Create clear channels of communication for open dialogue and actively solicit input from all levels of key stakeholders. Find out which stakeholders hold key insights and create processes that share those important insights.

Incorporating psychological safety into Lean project management practices not only supports individual well-being but also drives sustainable project success. A project manager must do more than make sure their project is completed. They must ensure the value a project was intended to create is realised and also that their project teams thrive while working together under increasing more complex conditions. They must be excellent leaders.

Psychological safety is not just a complementary aspect of leadership; it is foundational to enable other aspects of Lean project management to function effectively. By fostering a culture where stakeholders feel safe to express themselves, take risks, and learn from their experiences, project owners and managers can fully leverage the benefits of lean principles.

Sources:

Disciplined Agile, PMI. 2022 https://www.pmi.org/disciplined-agile/lean/thinking
PMI 2022: https://www.pmi.org/disciplined-agile/lean/definition
Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly.
Google Guide: Understand team effectiveness.
ournal of Organizational Behavior. (2020). Team psychological safety and team effectiveness: A meta-analysis.

Contact

Lydie Lambert

Senior Consultant

lla@mannaz.com
+45 21345434

Psychological safety in Lean project management