Assessing the Impacts of Work-Related Applications of Improvisation Training on Psychological Safety in Teams

This paper discusses improvisational training (IMPT) and psychological safety and seeks to find if the former impacts the latter. For this study, improvisation has four main tenets: ensemble/co-creation, ‘yes, and’/accept and heighten, authenticity/celebrating failure, and listening and communication skills. Psychological safety is defined as the shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking and a sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass, reject or punish someone for speaking up. This confidence stems from mutual respect and trust among team members. It is described as a team climate where members feel comfortable being themselves. This study proposes that IMPT impacts psychological safety in teams in a positive way. All participants suggested IMPT training was present in their psychologically safe teams, recognized all four tenets of improv, and impacted the psychological safety of the team