# Why Create PS?

*Tom Geraghty · History & Foundations, Politics, Diversity & Equity*

Asks the question beneath the practice: why do we want to foster psychological safety at all? Retention, productivity, risk reduction, innovation — or simply because it is the right thing to do for people? The piece is candid that the business benefits are often the quickest way to light a fire under an organisation and inspire action, because most organisations exist to make money, provide a service, or solve a problem, not primarily to provide a humanistic and safe workplace. Within a capitalist system we therefore hold conflicting goals: the organisation's goal, and our moral imperative to treat each other with kindness and create a more just and safe world. The serendipity of psychological safety is that it serves both at once — we don't have to choose between doing right by people and doing right by the organisation. But that is not licence to relax: the article warns against commoditising psychological safety and generative cultures, and flinches at proprietary tools, systems and frameworks that smack of gatekeeping knowledge and co-opting the best part of humanity. The deeper questions are why we are doing this work, who we are creating it for, whether anyone is being excluded, and what we expect the result to be. An early statement of the anti-commodification, rights-first position.

- **This page:** https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/why/
- **Read the full article on psychsafety.com:** https://psychsafety.com/why/
- **Interactive map:** https://explore.psychsafety.com/?node=why-create-ps

## Connected concepts (5)

- [Core Principles](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/our-core-principles.md)
- [PS is Political](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/psychological-safety-is-political.md)
- [Why Foster PS?](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/why-do-people-foster-psychological-safety.md)
- [Utility of PS](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/the-utility-of-psychological-safety.md)
- [Weaponisation of PS](https://explore.psychsafety.com/n/psychological-safety-65-weaponisation-of-psychological-safety.md)