The Effect of Leader–Follower Psychological Capital Congruence on Safety Behavior

This study aims to explore the relationship between leader and follower psychological capital (PC) congruence, intrinsic safety motivation (ISM), and safety behavior (SB). The construction industry is one of the most dangerous industries, and most safety accidents are determined by human behavior. Exploring the factors influencing construction workers’ SB is important for improving construction safety. This study collected 242 paired questionnaires from frontline construction workers and crew leaders in China. The SPSS 22.0 software and PROCESS program were used for analysis, the empirical study was conducted using polynomial regression and response surface analysis, and the block variable method was used to test for mediating effects. The findings show that (a) the level of follower SB is determined by the degree of leader–follower PC congruence; (b) when leader–follower PC was congruent, the impact of both high PCs on follower SB was enhanced compared to each low PC; (c) when leader–follower PC was incongruent, the impact of follower PC (FPC) above leader PC (LPC) was better on follower SB compared to FPC below LPC; (d) the relationship between leader–follower PC congruence and follower SB was mediated by ISM. The promotion of SB should focus on the fit between leaders and followers in addition to the PC of the followers themselves. This study contributes to workgroup safety in the construction industry by improving the fit between workgroup leaders and members, promoting ISM, and thus improving their safety performance.