Across councils, a quiet crisis is unfolding. Good people are burning out. High-performing teams are hitting invisible ceilings. And well-intentioned busyness is replacing meaningful progress.
At the heart of this is something many leaders still don’t know how to measure — or even talk about: psychological safety.
But what if we could? What if we had a way to name, track, and shift the lived experience of culture across our organisations?
One council recently did just that.
The Catalyst for Change
With 116 staff and a mandate to serve a diverse and growing community, this council was facing challenges many others will recognise: siloed teams, diminishing trust, and a general sense that people no longer felt safe to speak up or take risks.
They introduced the Psychological Safety Index (PSI) — a diagnostic tool grounded in research and developed to measure psychological safety in a way that’s actionable, not abstract.
What followed was a transformation.
- Trust scores in teams rose from 53% to 93%
- Felt safety improved from 48% to 98%
These weren’t just numbers on a dashboard. They reflected a real shift in how people showed up, spoke up, and connected to their work.
Why It Worked
- The PSI made the invisible visible.
- Leaders listened deeply, not defensively.
- Change wasn’t imposed; it was co-created.
By surfacing how people truly felt — not just what they said in annual surveys — the organisation could focus its energy where it mattered most.
Why This Matters Now
The insights from this case reflect a broader shift we’re seeing across the local government sector: a growing recognition that culture is measurable, psychological safety is essential, and trust is not a given. It is something that must be built and sustained.
As councils face increasing complexity, scrutiny and expectation, the ability to create safe, inclusive environments is not just good leadership. It is operationally critical.
That is why we are bringing this conversation to the forefront in our next sector event.
Abby Hunt, developer of the Psychological Safety Index (PSI) through her organisation DataDrivesInsight, has worked closely with councils to apply the tool in real-world settings. She will join our panel to share how the PSI is helping leaders uncover what is really going on beneath the surface, and where to focus for meaningful, measurable change.
Join Us for an Exclusive Live Event
Join senior local government leaders for an interactive live event where we’ll uncover why well-intentioned busyness is costing councils time, trust, and impact and what you can do to change the trajectory.
Ready to increase your councils impact and effectiveness? Join leadership expert Zoe Dattner for this free online event on Wednesday 18th June, 12 – 1:30 AEST. Register here, places are strictly limited.
