Repairing Police Psychological Safety: The Role of Career Adaptability, Feedback Environment, and Goal-Self Concordance Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of career adaptability, feedback environment, and goal-self concordance in improving police psychological safety. Questionnaires with integral and regular answers were collected from 295 police officers from four provinces in China. The police officers completed a questionnaire that included items measuring goal-self concordance, supervisor feedback environment, psychological safety, and demographics. In a separate questionnaire, each supervisor rated the subordinate’s career adaptability. Career adaptability indirectly influences psychological safety through the feedback environment. Career adaptability has a greater influence on improving psychological safety for police officers with lower goal-self concordance than for individuals with higher goal-self concordance. Police officers with lower goal-self concordance must care about their future work roles, control their personal professional activities, make education and career choices based on curiosity, and be confident in their own careers to improve their psychological safety.