Why do overqualified incumbents deviate? Examining multiple mediators.

Abstract

In the modern marketplace, especially when unemployment is high, more and more Americans find themselves overqualified (i.e., possessing more competencies than the job requires). Using and extending person-environment fit theory and the stressor-emotion model of counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs), we examine whether overqualified employees are more likely to display CWBs than employees who feel their positions match their qualification levels. Further, we examine why overqualified employees may behave in counterproductive ways and compare the empirical viability of several theoretically derived competing mediators. Based on data from a sample of full-time employees (n = 215), we found that consistent with the theoretical frameworks, overqualified incumbents display nondesirable counterproductive work behaviors because they become cynical about the meaningfulness of their activities. We further show that although poor person-job fit or inadequate psychological contracts can motivate such misbehavior, cynicism dominates as a reason for why overqualified employees engage in counterproductive work behaviors.

Psychological Contracts of Multiple Jobholders: A Multilevel Analysis

“…Having a career in the occupation was possible only with the necessary skills and knowledge that are often acquired through education and training. This result was in line with earlier research (Luksyte et al, 2011) that showed that a match between job and qualification was positively related to a relational and balanced contract. Both studies conveyed the message that the appropriate qualification was related to a long-term employment relationship.…”

The Relationship Study of Perceived Over qualification and Knowledge Sharing on Team Performance

“…Luksyte et al (2011) found that the graduates have participated in the work of the investigation, if employees feel overqualified, dissatisfaction and pressure, boredom and other negative emotions and appear because of their own capacity is not fully utilized, will lead to counterproductive work behavior [2]. The results of Bolino & Feldman (2000) show that the higher the perception is, the worse the subjective performance is.…”

Explaining Counterproductive Work Behaviors Among Police Officers: The Indirect Effects of Job Demands Are Mediated by Job Burnout and Moderated by Job Control and Social Support

“…Although the relationship between job burnout and CWB has been examined less frequently, there is evidence for the link between emotional exhaustion and CWB. More frequently CWB occurred among emotionally exhausted employees (Banks et al, 2012) or among employees who scored high on Downloaded by [Central Michigan University] at 17:01 08 October 2015 cynicism (Luksyte, Spitzmueller, & Maynard, 2011), which may be considered as one of the dimensions of burnout. Further, Krischer et al (2010) showed that the employees who engaged in production deviance (e.g., deliberately performing work slowly or incorrectly) and withdrawal behaviors (e.g., leaving work earlier than allowed) experienced less emotional exhaustion than employees who refrained from those behaviors.…”