Teams: trust as a performance variable
Culture isn’t vibes—it’s clarity. Notes on communication norms coaches and captains can operationalize.
When it comes to teams, trust is a nonnegotiable skill that needs to be built. This could be between teammates, players and coaches, employees and managers, and more. The foundation of trust, however, relies on the concept of psychological safety: the belief in whether it is safe to take interpersonal risks in a team or group environment. This means an individual feels confident asking questions, voicing concerns, and sharing ideas without fear of being judged or publicly humiliated. When psychological safety is present, it has been linked to better decision-making, with various perspectives being heard. Psychological safety can be built in a few ways: asking for help, acknowledging mistakes, practicing active listening, and discussing shared goals are just a few ways to start cultivating a psychologically safe environment.
Generally, trust increases the ability for those in a group to be able to work together. Trust within a team will allow team members to cooperate and work together towards achieving the goals of their specific organization/workplace. Trust can be looked at as an exchange. When we see that someone trusts us, we become more inclined to trust them. The opposite is true as well: when someone does not seem to trust us, we are less willing to trust them. Environments that foster openness, reliability, and a genuine concern for those around you have a high potential to improve performance.
So what does this mean? Openness and willingness to communicate can go a long way to creating the harmony needed to be the best team you can be. Trust takes time to build, and it only takes one person to start creating this kind of culture. Trust is a skill that can be learned and can be used in every aspect of your life!
https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/work-in-america/2024/psychological-safety
https://www.apa.org/topics/healthy-workplaces/psychological-safety
Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.2307_2666999
Cote, C. (2025). How to build psychological safety in the workplace. HBS Online, 20th May.
Mach, M., Dolan, S., & Tzafrir, S. (2010). The differential effect of team members’ trust on team performance: The mediation role of team cohesion. Journal of occupational and organizational psychology, 83(3), 771-794.