"Impact of organizational culture on employee psychological safety perception: The pivotal role of trust in top management across 18 societies"

Abstract

"We assess the impact of organizational culture on employees' psychological safety using data from 2451 employees across 18 societies. Our multi-level structural equation models reveal that organizations that emphasize a clan culture foster significantly higher psychological safety than those that emphasize a hierarchy culture, and trust in top management mediates the effect of organizational culture on psychological safety. Additionally, macro-environmental factors, specifically a society's cultural context and governance quality, moderate the effect of trust in top management, explaining variance in psychological safety globally. Our findings make a novel contribution to the literature on psychological safety, international management, and organizational behavior. We outline vital implications for managers and provide directions for future research. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd."