LINKING PERSONALITY TRAITS AND TEAM COHESION IN UNDERWATER ENGINEERING ENVIRONMENTS

Abstract

Underwater engineering work requires very high levels of coordination and psychological alignment because of the high risk, isolation, and confinement of the subsea work environment. This research analyzes the effects of perceived team cohesion among professional divers and underwater technicians alongside individual personality traits, focusing on the Big Five model. Based on survey responses and observational evaluations from three international subsea projects, the analysis shows that certain traits, particularly conscientiousness and agreeableness, positively bolster trust and cooperative behavior. In contrast, high neuroticism associates with greater interpersonal conflict and lower operational coordination. The study also examines how cultural diversity and task complexity jointly shape the described effects. Findings are useful for Human Resource and organizational managers, as well as operational team leaders, to improve mission-specific training and team arrangement for underwater operations. Organizations can improve safety, productivity, and morale among deep-sea engineering teams by incorporating psychological profiling into pre-deployment assessments.