When cohesion and psychological safety work together, teams become significantly more capable of navigating uncertainty, integrating diverse perspectives, and executing complex tasks. A 2021 meta-analysis by Frazier et al. found that psychological safety was strongly correlated with performance, especially when teams had a high degree of interdependence and were tasked with problem-solving.

Importantly, cohesion can support the development of psychological safety by fostering trust and mutual understanding. At the same time, psychological safety can accelerate cohesion by encouraging open communication and vulnerability. These two dynamics reinforce each other, creating what researchers call a virtuous cycle of performance (Newman et al., 2017).