Team psychological safety influences work performance: The roles of psychological capital and team knowledge heterogeneity

Using signaling theory and social cognitive theory, in this study I explored the impact of employees’ sense of team psychological safety on their work performance, incorporating psychological capital as a mediator and team knowledge heterogeneity as a moderator. I analyzed survey data from 576 employees across enterprises in Shandong Province, China, using regression and moderated mediation analyses. Results indicated that team psychological safety significantly and positively predicted work performance, and psychological capital partially mediated this relationship. Furthermore, team knowledge heterogeneity negatively moderated both the direct effect of team psychological safety on work performance and the indirect effect via psychological capital; that is, higher heterogeneity weakened these positive relationships. These findings elucidate the mechanisms and boundary conditions linking team psychological safety to performance, offering insights for enhancing organizational effectiveness.