The mediating role of teamwork between a no-blame culture and team effectiveness in project-based design teams in the construction industry

A no-blame culture is often promoted as an important driver for teamwork which in turn would lead to higher project team effectiveness in construction industry projects. The research on these relations, however, is scarce in the construction industry and mainly based on case studies. Therefore, this study investigates whether a no-blame culture in project-based design teams that work on construction projects leads to higher team effectiveness through teamwork. 92 team members of 34 project-based design teams assessed the no-blame culture, level of teamwork, and team effectiveness in teams that were procured through different procurement routes. Data were collected via online surveys from a sample of construction practitioners, such as project managers, engineers, and architects. Using mediated regression analysis of mean scores, the findings show that teamwork fully mediates the relation between no blame culture and team effectiveness. The findings demonstrate that a no blame climate significantly affects the level of teamwork and in turn team effectiveness. Managers of project-based design teams in the construction industry should, therefore, spend time and effort in creating a safe environment in which team members can share their thoughts about, for instance, the design or project related problems with other team members without being scared of the consequences on an interpersonal level.