PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY EXPERIENCES OF HR LEADERS IN THE BURSA AUTOMOTIVE CLUSTER: A QUALITATIVE INQUIRY ON MOBBING, EXCLUSION, AND PARTICIPATION

Abstract

Purpose- While psychological safety is widely recognized as a foundational driver of team learning, open voice, and sustainable organizational performance, its distinct operational realities within high-pressure, manufacturing-intensive corporate sectors remain underdeveloped in qualitative literature. This study explicitly aims to investigate how interpersonal risk-taking, safe communication, and systemic workplace trust are dynamically experienced, constructed, and negotiated by human resource leaders operating within the complex automotive manufacturing ecosystem of Bursa, Türkiye. Methodology- Adopting a rigorous qualitative, interpretive, and descriptive inquiry paradigm, this empirical research explores the lived experiences of 15 HR leaders across various organizational seniority levels and managerial roles within the Bursa automotive supply chain. Data were gathered through semi-structured, in-depth interviews and subjected to thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The approach prioritizes rich, contextualized descriptions over statistical generalizations, capturing socio-structural nuances of a high-stakes manufacturing environment. Trustworthiness was ensured via Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) criteria and the COREQ checklist. Findings- Narratives demonstrate that psychological safety is a structurally conditioned phenomenon heavily constrained by autocratic governance, family-business politics, and institutional power dynamics. HR leaders navigate a persistent paradox between strategic partnership expectations and administrative compliance, inducing strategic self-censorship. Punitive error cultures trigger defensiveness, while learning-oriented climates foster accountability. Team solidarity serves as a buffer but remains vulnerable to political manipulation and toxicity. Systematic marginalization, organizational bypassing, and information withholding persist across all echelons, indicating that seniority provides insufficient protection against exclusion. Conclusion- Cultivating psychological safety for HR leaders requires systemic interventions beyond individual interactions. Organizations must dismantle punitive feedback loops, formalize safeguards against bypassing, and institutionalize participative leadership to preserve managerial autonomy and professional legitimacy. The study is limited to a single industrial cluster and cross-sectional design. Keywords: Psychological safety, Bursa automotive cluster, HR leadership, workplace exclusion, error management culture