Unpacking Supervisor’s Phubbing and Its Impact on Project Success: A Case Study of NESPAK Construction Projects

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17848569

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of supervisor’s phubbing (the act of ignoring subordinates by focusing more on mobile devices) on project success within the construction industry, considering NESPAK projects. Construction projects are exceptionally complicated and high-risk, often confronting challenges in fulfilling their allocated cost, schedule, and quality goals. One of the noticeable barrier to success is poor communication, with supervisor’s phubbing appearing as a recent manifestation of this problem. This research explores on how phubbing affects project outcomes, concentrating on the roles of psychological distress, emotional engagement, and employee resilience.  Referring to the existing literature and based on the empirical data, the study examines how supervisor’s phubbing contributes to psychological strain and disengagement among team members, ultimately hindering project performance. It also explores how employee resilience can help buffer these negative effects. Data were collected from NESPAK employees using structured questionnaires, and analyzed through linear regression, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling using SPSS. The findings have demonstrated that supervisor’s phubbing negatively impacts project success, with psychological distress and emotional engagement acting as partial mediators, and employee resilience serving as a moderator. This study adds valuable empirical evidence to existing literature and offers practical insights for improving communication and leadership practices in construction project management.