Perceived competence mobilization: an explorative study of predictors and impact on turnover intentions

Build Coalitions to Fit: Autonomy Expectations, Competence Mobilization, and Job Crafting

“…Perceived competence mobilization refers to the degree to which subordinates experience adequate opportunities to use their skills in their current jobs (Lai & Kapstad, ). This concept is concerned with subordinates’ judgment of the relevancy of their work tasks, including the types and breadths of tasks and established goals, in utilizing their competence.…”

“…This concept is concerned with subordinates’ judgment of the relevancy of their work tasks, including the types and breadths of tasks and established goals, in utilizing their competence. Different from self‐efficacy, which refers to individual feelings of being competent, individuals experience their competence mobilized when they see opportunities for using their skills at work (Lai, ; Lai & Kapstad, ). As such, it is not deterministic in terms of the specific types and breadths of tasks but instead about employee perceptions of work and the extent to which it “fits” with their competence.…”

“…As such, it is not deterministic in terms of the specific types and breadths of tasks but instead about employee perceptions of work and the extent to which it “fits” with their competence. Indeed, a study by Lai and Kapstad () demonstrated that self‐efficacy was not related to perceived competence mobilization, arguing that the relationship can be complex depending on the extent to which the highly efficacious individuals are enthusiastic about the opportunities. This line of inquiry has gained increasing attention because how subordinates perceive competence mobilization is an important predictor of their subsequent attitudinal (e.g., Lai & Kapstad, ; Parker, ) and behavioral (e.g., Berg, Grant et al., 2010; Lai, ) responses.…”

“…Indeed, a study by Lai and Kapstad () demonstrated that self‐efficacy was not related to perceived competence mobilization, arguing that the relationship can be complex depending on the extent to which the highly efficacious individuals are enthusiastic about the opportunities. This line of inquiry has gained increasing attention because how subordinates perceive competence mobilization is an important predictor of their subsequent attitudinal (e.g., Lai & Kapstad, ; Parker, ) and behavioral (e.g., Berg, Grant et al., 2010; Lai, ) responses. This is also in line with person‐job fit research, which supports the idea that the factors for individuals to thrive at work are not universal but dependent on the extent to which individuals find those factors fitting (Edwards, ; Kristof‐Brown, Zimmerman, & Johnson, ).…”

“…In the current study, we propose that congruence between the autonomy expectations held by subordinates and their leaders enables subordinates’ understanding of their roles to craft their jobs. We propose that this relationship is indirect, mediated by subordinates’ perceived competency mobilization, or the degree to which subordinates experience adequate opportunities to use their skills in their current jobs (Lai & Kapstad, ).…”