The Evolutionary Game of Post-conflict Management for New Generation of Construction Workers in China: The Mediating Role of Foremen

The emotional perception of the new generation of Chinese construction workers is becoming stronger, and the traditional punishment-type management model is gradually failing. In order to address the safety hazards caused by the negative emotions generated after workers' conflict events, the motivation of workers to actively participate in the construction of safety climate is increased, and the safety performance of construction projects is enhanced. This paper introduces emotional event theory to assess workers' psychological perceptions and uses foreman as an intermediary for safety management to analyze the decision-making process between managers and work-groups in the safety management process. By establishing a tripartite evolutionary game model of manager, foreman, and worker, the evolutionary differences among the three parties when the manager is strict or appeasing are examined. The results of the study showed that managers who showed appeasement were more effective than those who showed stringency in accomplishing the safety goals of the project. As the workers' psychological perception index increased, workers were more inclined to adopt aggressive strategies, and their behavior was more influenced by their own moral identity as well as the foreman's attitude under the manager's appeasement attitude. This study can provide managers with suggestions on how to handle the situation after a conflict, which can help regulate the behavior of construction teams and eliminate safety risks.