Abstract
This qualitative interpretive phenomenological study explores how Black women in non-attorney legal roles experience psychological safety during workplace conflict. Despite their critical contributions to the legal profession, these professionals remain underexamined in organizational research, particularly regarding how intersecting racial, gendered, and professional identities shape their interactions in high-pressure legal environments. Guided by Black Feminist Thought, psychological safety theory, and conflict theory, this study centered the voices of Black women as they described how they navigate conflict, psychological safety, and interpret leadership support. Semi-structured interviews with 11 participants revealed that psychological safety is not uniformly experienced but is instead deeply relational, conditional, and mediated by systemic inequities, role-based devaluation, and racialized power dynamics. Participants employed a range of advocacy and self-preservation strategies, many grounded in faith, intuition, and resilience. Findings challenge conventional leadership and conflict resolution models by illuminating how psychological safety is shaped by identity-specific risks, implicit bias, and silencing tactics. The study contributes to a more culturally situated understanding of conflict management and psychological safety and underscores the need for identity-conscious leadership practices in legal organizations. Practical implications include the call for leadership development initiatives that address racialized organizational dynamics, validate the expertise of legal support staff, and foster environments where Black women can advocate for themselves without fear of reprisal, reputational harm, and decreased opportunities for advancement. These insights extend current scholarship and offer meaningful guidance for improving workplace equity, retention, and wellbeing in the legal profession.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Black Women, Psychological Safety, Workplace Conflict, Legal Support Roles, Intersectionality
