Collective AI anxiety and team innovative behaviour: the role of coping strategies

Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationship between collective anxiety relating to the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in construction companies and team innovative behaviours, purposing a potential mediation role of employees’ coping strategies. Design/methodology/approach The deductive nature of the research dedicated a quantitative research methodology. Structural equation modelling was conducted on a data set of 540 randomly chosen responses to an online questionnaire from European-based construction employees. Findings The results showed a significant positive relationship between collective AI anxiety and team innovative behaviour. The mediation relationships were also statistically significant. While emotion- and relationship-focused coping had positive relationships with team innovative behaviour, problem-focused coping had a negative relationship. An explanation from cognitive psychology is offered for this finding. Practical implications There is potential for construction organizations to increase team innovative behaviours through supporting emotion- and relationship-focused coping strategies for collective AI anxiety. Approaches include open discussions on AI-related concerns to allow team members to voice their anxieties and fostering interpersonal connections to facilitate relationship-focused coping. Originality/value This study contributes to understanding the psychological and social impacts of AI in the construction industry, offering practical insights for fostering innovation amidst AI-induced anxieties. In addition, it presents an empirical study examining relation-focused coping as a new strategy for collective team coping. Building the conceptual framework at the team level addresses the scarcity of research on managing anxiety and fostering innovation within teams.