Abstract
This study investigates whether psychological safety may be at risk during the implementation of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) in a large Swedish insurance company. Using two organization-wide survey waves, one administered at the implementation stage of SAFe and the other approximately 2.5 years later, psychological safety was measured, and mean levels were compared across waves. Results show a statistically significant decrease in psychological safety over time (mean difference = 0.31, p = .02; small-to-moderate effect, d = 0.414). The findings are consistent with concerns that multiteam level coordination and public commitment-making may be associated with higher perceived interpersonal risk. These findings suggest that psychological safety may be part of the “hidden cost” landscape of scaling: an outcome that matters because large-scale software development relies on speaking up about risks and dependencies.
Paper Type
Full Paper
DOI
10.62036/ISD.2026.24
Does Scaling Agile Undermine Psychological Safety? A Two-Wave Study of a SAFe Transformation
This study investigates whether psychological safety may be at risk during the implementation of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) in a large Swedish insurance company. Using two organization-wide survey waves, one administered at the implementation stage of SAFe and the other approximately 2.5 years later, psychological safety was measured, and mean levels were compared across waves. Results show a statistically significant decrease in psychological safety over time (mean difference = 0.31, p = .02; small-to-moderate effect, d = 0.414). The findings are consistent with concerns that multiteam level coordination and public commitment-making may be associated with higher perceived interpersonal risk. These findings suggest that psychological safety may be part of the “hidden cost” landscape of scaling: an outcome that matters because large-scale software development relies on speaking up about risks and dependencies.
Recommended Citation
Gustavsson, T. & Johansson, J.(2026). Does Scaling Agile Undermine Psychological Safety? A Two-Wave Study of a SAFe Transformation. In M. Valenta, B. Mannová, R. Pergl, A. Przybylek, M. Lang, H. Linger, C. Schneider, N. Iivari, & E. Insfran (Eds.), Making ISD Sustainable: Reloaded with AI and Automation (ISD2026 Proceedings). Prague, Czech Republic: Czech Technical University in Prague. ISBN: 978-80-01-07585-2. https://doi.org/10.62036/ISD.2026.24