32nd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 32) - Auckland, New Zealand - 2024

https://doi.org/10.24928/2024/0150

An Investigation of Psychological Safety in Construction Projects and Its Influence on Team Learning Behaviour: A Survey-Based Study

Selina Häringer1, Sulyn Gomez2 & Annett Schöttle3

1MSc Business and Organizational Psychology, University of Westminster, London, DE, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0000-3276-4767
2Quality Leader, DPR Construction, Redwood City, USA, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0003-2367-9880
3Dr.-Ing., CBA and Lean Expert, Founder and Co-Director at CollabDecisions, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0001-6001-7320

Abstract

Due to a construction project's dynamic, interdependent, and complex environment, it is crucial that team members are able to talk openly about risks, mistakes, ideas and best practices without fearing interpersonal risks such as punishment or dismissal. Sharing knowledge is especially critical as team structures change over a project. Therefore, psychological safety is an essential key enabler in such project environments. This paper is built upon a cross-sectional survey-based study (N=163) used to assess the current level of psychological safety within teams of the Owner, Architect, Engineering, and Construction (OAEC) industry based on the views of individuals in different teams. Furthermore, the study aimed to identify factors that can enhance psychological safety in construction project teams. These include, for example, a good failure culture, communication, and a mindset toward collaboration. The results show a strong positive relationship between psychological safety and team learning behavior, with psychological safety as a predictor explaining 50% of the variance in team learning behavior.

Keywords

Construction project teams, psychological safety, team learning behaviour.

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Reference

Häringer, S. , Gomez, S. & Schöttle, A. 2024. An Investigation of Psychological Safety in Construction Projects and Its Influence on Team Learning Behaviour: A Survey-Based Study, Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 32) , 1123-1134. doi.org/10.24928/2024/0150

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Founded in 1993, the IGLC is an international network of researchers from practice and academia in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) who feel that the practice, education, and research of the AEC industry have to be radically renewed in order to respond to the global challenges ahead.

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