Psychological Safety of Women and Its Management Strategies: Qualitative Research in Women Faculty Members of Iranian Universities

Psychological safety is derived from the perception of the extent of environmental risks and threats and expresses the feeling that a person in an environment can comment carefree and not be afraid of being blamed. The purpose of this study is to present a model of women's psychological safety focusing on causes and consequences in the top universities in the northeast of the country using an interpretive approach and qualitative method. The strategy of this research is Grounded theory based on the systematic design of Strauss and Corbin. The participants were faculty women in the top universities in the northeast of the country, and in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 female faculty members who experienced the phenomenon of psychological safety in the environment and had at least 10 years of work experience in terms of work experience and continued until data saturation. The results of qualitative data analysis identified 219 free codes, 73 categories and 30 themes. In the axial coding stage, the link between the themes was established and then, selective coding was done. In this study, the findings showed that the central phenomenon consists of verbal safety, behavioral safety, emotional safety and perceptual safety. Causal conditions include bureaucratic structures, masculine structures, discriminatory structures, negative organizational climate, personality-attitudinal factors, unsupported leadership style, ineffective communication, and work-life imbalances. Strategies also include active (participatory), empowerment, defense, cognitive, and cultural strategies. Outcomes also include attachment to the job and organization, organizational learning, growth of individual and professional performance, strengthening social capital, organizational trust, organizational justice, and psychological well-being. The contexts in this study include educational, legal and cultural contexts and the interventionist conditions consist of the organization's brand identity, demographic characteristics and economic factors. This model helps universities and other organizations to identify ways to achieve psychological safety in employees and provide the conditions for its creation. The results also encourage managers to strive for the realization and development of psychological safety in the organization.