Mellan situation och position : En studie av psykologisk trygghet, makt och talutrymme i ett flygbolag

Sammanfattning

This study examines how psychological safety is constructed and practised in the everyday work of an airline organisation, focusing on situations in which employees choose to express criticism, uncertainty, or remain silent. Adopting a sociological perspective, psychological safety is understood as a situational and relational phenomenon rather than a stable team climate. The study is based on a qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with twelve respondents across different organisational levels. An abductive approach is applied, combining Goffman’s interaction theory with Bourdieu’s theory of capital and symbolic power. The findings show that psychological safety varies across situations. Safety-related contexts emerge as institutionalized settings where speaking up is expected, whereas situations involving work culture and interpersonal relations are characterized by greater hesitation. Speaking up and silence are shaped through ongoing evaluations of social risk, where employees weigh potential consequences for relationships and position. Silence thus appears as an active and strategic practice. The study further demonstrates that opportunities to speak up are unequally distributed, as access to symbolic capital influences who can express criticism without social risk. By analyzing psychological safety through interrelated interactional, positional, and normative dimensions, the study contributes with a sociological perspective that highlights how voice is produced, negotiated, and constrained in everyday organisational practice.