“Psychological safety is essential for teams to grow and thrive.”
-Amanda Clay Powers in “Psychological Safety in Libraries: It’s a Team Sport”
This article, shared by Michael Stephens, really struck a chord with me. I hold a leadership position at the library I currently work at, and have been reflecting on what success looks like for someone in this position. Amy Edmondson posulates that psychological safety is a
‘‘…shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. [It is] a sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass, reject, or punish someone for speaking up. It describes a team climate characterized by interpersonal trust and mutual respect in which people are comfortable being themselves.’’
(Edmondson, 1999)
To make a team psychologically safe, a leader needs to communicate to the team what that means, along with the tools of anti-racism, inclusion, accessibility, and soft skills of active listening. This reminds me of the core principles of restorative practices, which we have implemented for our youth patrons. You approach each situation with curiosity and with the assumption that the youth patron is “good”. There is no such thing as a bad youth patron, but rather a youth patron who made a bad decision. Clay Powers and Fife (2025) are applying restorative practices to adults in the workplace (Clay Powers and Fife, 2025). These practices build trust between coworkers and management, and creates an environment where everyone can be their trueselves. This allows for more engagement and flow of ideas, rather than a quiet meeting where no one wants to speak up for fear of judgment and criticism.
It seems like a daunting task to change workplace practices and culture that have been around for a long time. Clay Powers (2025) writes, “Point your feet in a direction, and you will end up there” (Clay Powers and Fife, 2025, p. 106). I love this. It emphasizes intent and baby steps. Psychological safety is a marathon, not a sprint. Tying this back into the Hyperlinked Library, I am reminded of Michael Stephens’ challenge of “leading from the heart” (Stephens, 2025). What kind of changes would we see if we put people first (including our coworkers)? How would it affect the library as an organization? How would the library’s impact on the community change?
References
Clay Powers, A., and Fife, D. (2025, March). Psychological safety in libraries: It’s a team sport. College & Research Libraries News, 86(2), 104-107. https://crln.acrl.org/index.php/crlnews/article/view/26701/34619
Edmondson, A. (1999, June). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350-383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999
Stephens, M. (2025). Module 13: Reflective practice. https://287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu/module-13-reflective-practice/
Hi Jenn – This is pressing concern these days. Society has witnessed so many traumatic events in the near past without much time to recover. Our leadership team completed mental health first aid training a few years ago, but I’m going to suggest we take a closer look at psychological first aid. This could be a community program too, to help build capacity and give people some tools to feel effective.
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/disaster_events/for_providers/psychological_first_aid.asp
Thank you for the thoughtful post!
Hi, Heather,
Thanks for reading and sharing. This is a great resource that I will definitely explore.
-Jenn