Technology plays a central role in modern team operations, particularly in high-stakes healthcare settings where adaptability, coordination, and precision are critical for success. By improving communication, streamlining workflows, and increasing safety, technological innovations can significantly enhance team performance. However, resistance to these advances, often driven by a lack of trust in technology, disrupts its integration into team processes and, consequently, team performance. Psychological safety climate, which fosters open communication, constructive feedback, and supportive team interactions, may also increase trust in technology, enabling team members to rely on technology effectively and building cohesive human-technology teams. Trust in technology becomes particularly important when teams lack the competency to strengthen human-human interactions. Drawing on data from 69 surgical teams (179 individuals), this study investigates the association between psychological safety climate, trust in technology, and team performance. Our findings reveal that psychological safety climate enhances trust in technology, which in turn improves performance, especially in teams with limited competency as a team. These results underscore the critical role of psychological safety climate in fostering trust in technology and aligning human-technology collaboration. By cultivating psychological safety, leaders can build trust in technology, enabling teams to fully leverage innovations, achieve safer and more efficient workflows, and deliver superior performance.
