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

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.