Musicals have a way of slipping wisdom into our hearts through song. Among them, Wicked stands out—not just as a Broadway phenomenon, but as a story that holds a mirror up to our workplaces. On the surface, Wicked is the untold story of the Wicked Witch of the West. Beneath the emerald glow lies something deeper: a parable about belonging, exclusion, labels, and the risk of speaking truth to power.

At its core, Wicked is a musical about psychological safety—or rather, what happens when it’s missing.

A Story of Two Women, Two Paths

Elphaba, born with green skin, enters Shiz University already marked as different. Brilliant and deeply compassionate, she longs to use her talents for good. Instead of being celebrated, she’s mocked and isolated. She becomes “the other.”

Glinda, in contrast, embodies effortless belonging. She’s adored, admired, and seen as “popular.” While Elphaba pushes against the system, Glinda learns how to move within it, winning approval by playing the part.

The tension between the two women drives the story—but it also reflects a tension many organizations face. Some employees are welcomed because they “fit in,” while others, equally gifted, are silenced because they are uniquely different.

This isn’t just theatre—it’s a workplace reality. According to Amy Edmondson, psychological safety is “a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes” (The Fearless Organization, 2019). Elphaba’s journey demonstrates what happens when this belief does not exist.

The Misunderstood Elphaba, Flipping the Script: Wicked as a Mirror for Workplace Culture

Most people know The Wizard of Oz—but fewer have seen the story retold from a very different perspective. Wicked, the Broadway musical that has become a global phenomenon, flips the narrative by focusing on Elphaba, the young woman we come to know as the “Wicked Witch of the West.” Instead of a one-dimensional villain, we discover a gifted, misunderstood individual whose difference—her green skin and extraordinary abilities—becomes the source of exclusion, judgment, and fear.

At its core, Wicked is about more than magic. It’s a story about identity, bias, and the way cultures shape people’s reputations. It asks a hard question: are people truly “wicked,” or do the stories others tell about them make them so? Alongside Elphaba’s journey is Glinda, the “popular” counterpart who represents privilege and acceptance. Their evolving relationship illustrates the power of allyship, the courage to challenge dominant narratives, and the choice leaders have to either silence or empower those who don’t fit the mold.

For today’s workplaces, Wicked offers a mirror. It reminds us that when organizations exclude difference, they lose brilliance. When they create psychological safety—where people can bring their full selves, speak up, and contribute—the results can be transformational.

Why Brilliant Talent Leaves When Cultures Exclude

From the moment she arrived at Shiz University, Elphaba stood out. Her differences were visible, and they became the lens through which everyone judged her. Yet behind the surface, she carried extraordinary strengths—natural abilities that set her apart from her peers. She didn’t need years of training or tools to excel; her intuition and raw talent made her contributions remarkable.

One striking example was when she instinctively found a way to help her sister walk more freely—a solution born out of compassion and ingenuity. Instead of being celebrated, her classmates pulled back, unsure how to react to such effortless brilliance. Later, when her enthusiasm and ideas emerged in class or social settings, the response was often ridicule or avoidance rather than encouragement.

Perhaps the most telling moment was at the school dance. Elphaba dared to express herself openly, only to be met with stares and laughter. That is, until Glinda stepped beside her and mirrored her movements. In that instant, what seemed “strange” became accepted. A single act of allyship normalized difference, transforming isolation into belonging.

In many workplaces today, the same dynamics unfold. Highly capable people are overlooked because their style, background, or ideas don’t fit the norm. Instead of nurturing unique potential, cultures of exclusion push talent to the margins. The lesson is clear: brilliance doesn’t vanish when dismissed—it simply finds another place to thrive. Leaders who create psychological safety, and who model Glinda’s kind of allyship, unlock not just individual potential but collective innovation.

Systems That Punish Dissent

One of the most striking elements of Wicked is the Wizard of Oz himself. Instead of being the benevolent leader everyone believes, he is revealed as a manipulative figure who demands silence and compliance. When Elphaba dares to question his tactics—exposing how he exploits the oppressed—he brands her as “wicked.” 

This echoes what happens in organizations where whistleblowers, truth-tellers, or even simple question-askers are punished rather than heard. As Matthew Lieberman’s neuroscience research shows, social pain (rejection, exclusion, humiliation) registers in the brain much like physical pain (Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect, 2013). Branding someone as “wicked” doesn’t just damage reputation; it inflicts a neurological wound that makes it unsafe for others to speak. 

How many talented employees have been sidelined for challenging the status quo? How many “Elphabas” exist in today’s boardrooms, their warnings ignored until it’s too late? 

The Mask of Popularity

Glinda’s iconic song “Popular” is one of the show’s most lighthearted moments. On the surface, it’s a comedic tune about teaching Elphaba how to fit in. Underneath, it highlights something sobering: acceptance often depends on performance.

Read InKNOWnative Insights: “Popular” Isn’t Psychological Safety: What Wicked Teaches Us About Belonging at Work.

In workplaces, this translates to conformity culture—where people wear masks to be liked, rather than sharing authentic ideas. Timothy R. Clark’s framework, The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety (2020), helps explain this:

1. Inclusion Safety – Feeling accepted as part of the group.
2. Learner Safety – Feeling safe to learn and grow.
3. Contributor Safety – Feeling safe to contribute meaningfully.
4. Challenger Safety – Feeling safe to challenge the status quo.

Glinda thrives in the inclusion stage because she fits expectations. Elphaba, however, never gets that foundational safety. Without inclusion, the other stages collapse. Instead of her brilliance being harnessed, her authenticity becomes a liability.

This raises a question for leaders: Is your workplace one where only the “popular” voices are welcomed? Or have you built a culture where every voice, no matter how unconventional, is valued?

InKNOWnative’s approach starts long before Inclusion Safety of Clark’s framework. Read more about InKNOWnative’s approach in InKNOWnative Insights: How to Use InKNOWnative’s Step-by-Step Training to Build Sustainable Psychological Safety.

Labels as Weapons

The word “wicked” ostracizes Elphaba. It redefines her in the public eye—not as a visionary but as a villain. Once the label sticks, nothing she does can shift perception.

We see this in workplaces all the time. Labels like “difficult,” “quiet quitter,” “not a team player,” or “too emotional” serve as shorthand for dismissing someone’s perspective. As Brené Brown reminds us, “Stories are data with a soul.” When organizations reduce people to labels, they strip away nuance, flatten identities, and silence voices (Dare to Lead, 2018).

In psychological-safety terms, labeling cuts off access to the higher stages of contribution and challenge. Once branded, individuals stop being invited into dialogue. Instead, they are managed around—or worse, managed out.

The tragedy of Elphaba is that her courage, compassion, and brilliance are buried beneath a narrative imposed on her. The tragedy of many organizations is that they lose their most valuable contributors the same way.

The High Cost of Silence

“Defying Gravity” is the show’s climactic anthem. In it, Elphaba refuses to be silenced any longer:

“Too late for second-guessing / Too late to go back to sleep / It’s time to trust my instincts / Close my eyes and leap.” 

For leaders, this moment is a warning. When psychological safety is missing, people eventually stop trying to conform—they disengage. They leave projects, teams, or entire organizations.

Gallup has found that low-engagement workplaces cost the global economy $8.8 trillion annually (Gallup, State of the Global Workplace 2023). Much of this disengagement can be traced back to environments where employees feel their voices don’t matter.

In other words: when people cannot speak up safely, organizations don’t just lose trust—they lose talent, innovation, and money.

The Invisible “Green Skin” at Work

Elphaba’s green skin is a metaphor for visible difference, but in organizations, difference can be visible or invisible. It might be race, gender, disability, or age. It might also be neurodiversity, introversion, or even being new to a team.

Too often, people carry their own version of “green skin”—a mark that makes them feel excluded before they even begin. Without deliberate effort, workplaces can unintentionally reinforce these divides.

Psychological safety is not about treating everyone the same. It’s about recognizing difference without punishing it. It’s about creating an environment where diversity is not only accepted but harnessed. As Deloitte’s Human Capital Trends (2020) report noted, organizations that embed belonging see higher performance, resilience, and well-being.

The Power of Allyship

At Shiz University’s Ozdust Ballroom, Elphaba finds herself at a social dance. Excited but unsure, she begins to dance in her own uninhibited, awkward, and unusual style—arms flailing, movements offbeat, completely unlike everyone else around her. At first, the crowd freezes and stares. Whispers ripple through the ballroom as she becomes the object of ridicule and embarrassment.

Then something unexpected happens. Glinda, who has just begun softening toward Elphaba, steps onto the floor and starts imitating her exact movements—arms flailing, swaying, kicking in the same unpolished rhythm. What begins as laughter from the crowd shifts into participation. One by one, other students join in until the dance floor erupts with joy, and Elphaba is no longer an outcast but the center of belonging.

This moment is powerful because it shows the difference one ally can make. Instead of correcting Elphaba or coaching her to conform, Glinda normalizes her uniqueness. By mirroring her, she shifts the group dynamic from ridicule to inclusion.

From “Wicked” to “Wise” Leadership

So what does leadership that fosters psychological safety look like in contrast to the Wizard’s manipulative rule?

• Transparency instead of secrecy. Leaders who explain decisions build trust, even when the news is hard.
• Listening instead of labeling. Leaders who pause to understand before assigning blame create inclusion.
• Encouragement instead of punishment. Leaders who reward risk-taking spark innovation.
• Vulnerability instead of façade. Leaders who admit mistakes model humanity and courage.

As Brené Brown puts it, “Leaders must either invest a reasonable amount of time attending to fears and feelings, or squander an unreasonable amount of time trying to manage ineffective and unproductive behavior” (Dare to Lead).

The Wizard squandered. Effective leaders don’t.

Wicked Lessons for Workplaces

If Wicked has one message, it’s this: the stories we tell about people shape their realities.

• When we label, we silence.
• When we exclude, we wound.
• When we listen, we liberate.
• When we include, we normalize.

One of the most powerful moments comes when Elphaba dances awkwardly at the school ball. Everyone stares, whispers, and withdraws. Her joy is almost crushed under the weight of judgment—until Glinda steps onto the floor and mirrors her movements. In that act, Glinda doesn’t just join the dance—she shifts the narrative. What was “strange” becomes “shared.” What was isolating becomes belonging. This is the essence of allyship: using your own influence to make space for another, and in doing so, changing the culture for everyone.

Leaders have a choice every day: Will your culture turn gifted contributors into villains, or will it give them wings? As Elphaba shows us, brilliance doesn’t disappear when silenced—it just takes flight elsewhere. The organizations that recognize and cultivate their “green-skinned” thinkers—and the leaders who, like Glinda, step forward to normalize difference—will be the ones who truly defy gravity.

Final Act

Wicked is more than a Broadway hit—it’s a leadership case study. It reminds us of the fragile line between inclusion and exclusion, between labeling and listening, between silence and song.

Leaders have a choice every day: Will your culture turn gifted contributors into villains, or will it give them wings?

Psychological safety is not a nice-to-have. It is the difference between organizations that crumble under silence and those that rise in harmony.

So next time you hear the swelling notes of Defying Gravity, remember: safety isn’t about protecting people from risk. It’s about giving them the wings to rise above it.

When leaders create cultures where every Elphaba can speak, challenge, and belong—then, and only then, can organizations truly fly.

If you want to bring psychological safety into your organization but aren't sure where to begin, start here by reading this InKNOWnative Insights: How to Use InKNOWnative’s Step-by-Step Training to Build Sustainable Psychological Safety.  

Citations

Edmondson, A. C. (2019). The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. Wiley.

Clark, T. R. (2020). The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety: Defining the Path to Inclusion and Innovation. Berrett-Koehler.

Lieberman, M. D. (2013). Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect. Crown.

Brown, B. (2018). Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. Random House.

Gallup. (2023). State of the Global Workplace Report. Gallup.

Deloitte. (2020). The social enterprise at work: Paradox as a path forward. Deloitte Insights.

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