What drives teams? A closer look on how strategic leadership promotes psychological safety in teams

Purpose Psychological safety (PS) is crucial for organizations to increase adaptability and respond to dynamic markets, innovative behavior, and sustainability practices and processes, through team performance and learning. Specifically, for team-based work structures, understanding shared behaviors such as strategic leadership (SL) is essential, as they have a high potential for creating PS. This study aims to examine the impact of specific transformational (TL) and transactional (TS) behaviors on team PS and expand research in the context of companies immersed in a highly uncertain environment. Design/methodology/approach This research analyzed relational data in three Mexican companies using Social Network Analysis to explore shared behaviors within working teams. Findings The results reveal that the impact of SL on PS might vary across teams based on their characteristics (i.e. size and age). Mature companies with well-established processes and teams benefited more from TL behaviors such as articulating a vision, role modeling and fostering group goal acceptance. Conversely, TS consistently influenced PS in all the companies, with a stronger effect on the smallest, youngest and project-based one. Research limitations/implications This study responds to calls for further research on PS as a group-level property. Moreover, by focusing on leadership behaviors rather than perceptions, this work advances the understanding of team member’s interactions from a social perspective. Finally, it emphasizes the multidimensionality of SL and extends the concept of shared leadership in team contexts. Originality/value This research shifts from an individual, top-down approach to a collective, team-based perspective, highlighting the role of SL in fostering PS. Thus, it provides valuable insights into the unique leadership and team management practices required in an emerging economy.