Team Positive Affective Tone in the Relationship Between Psychological Safety and Innovation

Teamwork research has proposed that a safe interpersonal environment is an essential influence on innovation. However, the relationship between this environment and innovation is not clear-cut, as studies suggest that such an effect is neither strong nor generalizable across teams. Thus, this study argues that the positive relationship between psychological safety and innovation depends on team positive affective tone (TPAT). Accordingly, results showed that this relationship occurs only when TPAT is high. Therefore, we contribute to the teamwork and innovation literature by supporting the idea that the positive effects of psychological safety on innovation depend on the enhancing influence of positive affect.