Abstract
Perceived overqualification (POQ) has become a common experience across different workplaces. However, the present research has overlooked the circumstances in which overqualification can lead to favorable results, not to mention the career development of overqualified employees. Drawing on career construction theory, we formulate a model examining how POQ relates to subjective career success/promotability. The questionnaire survey collected data from 204 supervisor-subordinate dyads within 65 teams from three Chinese companies in Shanghai, Shandong, and Hebei provinces across three time periods. The results revealed that POQ is related to career adaptability positively when perceived supervisor support is high but negatively when it is low. Career adaptability positively affects subjective career success and promotability. The indirect effect of POQ on career-related results through career adaptability is positive when perceived supervisor support is high but negative when it is low. We analyze these findings’ potential implications in theory and practice.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
The raw data supporting the conclusions of this study will be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
References
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Sage.
Arthur, M. B., Khapova, S. N., & Wilderom, C. P. (2005). Career success in a boundaryless career world. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(2), 177–202. https://doi.org/10.2307/4093977.
Arvan, M. L., Pindek, S., Andel, S. A., & Spector, P. E. (2019). Too good for your job? Disentangling the relationships between objective overqualification, perceived overqualification, and job dissatisfaction. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 115, 103323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.103323.
Bagdadli, S., & Gianecchini, M. (2019). Organizational career management practices and objective career success: A systematic review and framework. Human Resource Management Review, 29(3), 353–370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2018.08.001.
Bandalos, D. L. (2002). The effects of item parceling on goodness-of-fit and parameter estimate bias in structural equation modeling. Structural Equation Modeling-a Multidisciplinary Journal, 9(1), 78–102. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15328007sem0901_5.
Bird, A. (1994). Careers as repositories of knowledge: A new perspective on boundaryless careers. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15(4), 325–344. https://doi.org/10.2307/2488430.
Boudreau, J. W., Boswell, W. R., & Judge, T. A. (2001). Effects of personality on executive career success in the United States and Europe. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 58(1), 53–81. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.2000.1755.
Chen, G. (2005). Newcomer adaptation in teams: Multilevel antecedents and outcomes. Academy of Management Journal, 48(1), 101–116. https://doi.org/10.2307/20159643.
Cheong, M., Yammarino, F. J., Dionne, S. D., Spain, S. M., & Tsai, C. Y. (2019). A review of the effectiveness of empowering leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(1), 34–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2018.08.005.
Chu, F., Liu, S., Guo, M., & Zhang, Q. (2021). I am the top talent: Perceived overqualification, role breadth self-efficacy, and safety participation of high-speed railway operators in China. Safety Science, 144, 105476. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2021.105476.
Dar, N., Ahmad, S., & Rahman, W. (2022). How and when overqualification improves innovative work behaviour: The roles of creative self-confidence and psychological safety. Personnel Review, 51(9), 2461–2481. https://doi.org/10.1108/pr-06-2020-0429.
De Pater, I. E., Van Vianen, A. E. M., Bechtoldt, M. N., & Klehe, U. C. (2009). Employees’ challenging job experiences and supervisors’ evaluations of promotability. Personnel Psychology, 62(2), 297–325. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2009.01139.x.
De Vos, A., Van der Heijden, B. I., & Akkermans, J. (2020). Sustainable careers: Towards a conceptual model. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 117, 103196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2018.06.011.
Deng, H., Guan, Y., Wu, C. H., Erdogan, B., Bauer, T., & Yao, X. (2018). A relational model of perceived overqualification: The moderating role of interpersonal influence on social acceptance. Journal of Management, 44(8), 3288–3310. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316668237.
Eby, L. T., Butts, M., & Lockwood, A. (2003). Predictors of success in the era of the boundaryless career. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24(6), 689–708. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.214.
Erdogan, B., & Bauer, T. N. (2011). The impact of underemployment on turnover and career trajectories. In D. C. Maynard & D. C. Feldman (Eds.), Underemployment: Psychological, economic, and social challenges (pp. 215–232). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9413-4_11.
Erdogan, B., & Bauer, T. N. (2021). Overqualification at work: A review and synthesis of the literature. In F P Morgeson (Ed) Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior Vol 8, Vol. 8, 259–283. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-012420-055831.
Erdogan, B., Karakitapoğlu-Aygün, Z., Caughlin, D. E., Bauer, T. N., & Gumusluoglu, L. (2020). Employee overqualification and manager job insecurity: Implications for employee career outcomes. Human Resource Management, 59(6), 555–567. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22012.
Farh, J. L., Hackett, R. D., & Liang, J. (2007). Individual-level cultural values as moderators of perceived organizational support–employee outcome relationships in China: Comparing the effects of power distance and traditionality. Academy of Management Journal, 50(3), 715–729. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMJ.2007.25530866.
Feldman, D. C., Leana, C. R., & Bolino, M. C. (2002). Underemployment and relative deprivation among re-employed executives. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 75(4), 453–471. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317902321119682.
Galperin, R. V., Hahl, O., Sterling, A. D., & Guo, J. (2020). Too good to hire? Capability and inferences about commitment in labor markets. Administrative Science Quarterly, 65(2), 275–313. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839219840022.
Grant, A. M., & Berry, J. W. (2011). The necessity of others is the mother of invention: Intrinsic and prosocial motivations, perspective taking, and creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 54(1), 73–96. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMJ.2011.59215085.
Greenhaus, J. H., Parasuraman, S., & Wormley, W. M. (1990). Effects of race on organizational experiences, job performance evaluations, and career outcomes. Academy of Management Journal, 33(1), 64–86. https://doi.org/10.5465/256352.
Guan, Y., Zhou, W., Ye, L., Jiang, P., & Zhou, Y. (2015). Perceived organizational career management and career adaptability as predictors of success and turnover intention among chinese employees. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 88, 230–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2015.04.002.
Harari, M. B., Manapragada, A., & Viswesvaran, C. (2017). Who thinks they’re a big fish in a small pond and why does it matter? A meta-analysis of perceived overqualification. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 102, 28–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2017.06.002.
Hirschi, A., Herrmann, A., & Keller, A. C. (2015). Career adaptivity, adaptability, and adapting: A conceptual and empirical investigation. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 87, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2014.11.008.
Jiang, J. J., & Klein, G. (1999). Supervisor support and career anchor impact on the career satisfaction of the entry-level information systems professional. Journal of Management Information Systems, 16(3), 219–240. https://doi.org/10.2307/40398450.
Johnston, C. S. (2018). A systematic review of the career adaptability literature and future outlook. Journal of Career Assessment, 26(1), 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072716679921.
Khan, J., Saeed, I., Zada, M., Nisar, H. G., Ali, A., & Zada, S. (2023). The positive side of overqualification: Examining perceived overqualification linkage with knowledge sharing and career planning. Journal of Knowledge Management, 27(4), 993–1015. https://doi.org/10.1108/jkm-02-2022-0111.
Kim, J., Park, J., Sohn, Y. W., & Lim, J. I. (2021). Perceived overqualification, boredom, and extra-role behaviors: Testing a moderated mediation model. Journal of Career Development, 48(4), 400–414. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845319853879.
Kozlowski, S. W., & Bell, B. S. (2006). Disentangling achievement orientation and goal setting: Effects on self-regulatory processes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(4), 900. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.4.900.
Lee, A., Willis, S., & Tian, A. W. (2018). Empowering leadership: A meta-analytic examination of incremental contribution, mediation, and moderation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(3), 306–325. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2220.
Lee, A., Erdogan, B., Tian, A., Willis, S., & Cao, J. (2021). Perceived overqualification and task performance: Reconciling two opposing pathways. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 94(1), 80–106. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12323.
Li, C. S., Liao, H., & Han, Y. (2022). I despise but also envy you: A dyadic investigation of perceived overqualification, perceived relative qualification, and knowledge hiding. Personnel Psychology, 75(1), 91–118. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12444.
Liu, S., & Wang, M. (2012). Perceived overqualification: A review and recommendations for research and practice. In P. Perrewé, J. Halbesleben, & C. Rosen (Eds.), The Role of the Economic Crisis on Occupational Stress and Well Being (Vol. 10, pp. 1–42). Emerald.
Liu, S., Luksyte, A., Zhou, L., Shi, J., & Wang, M. (2015). Overqualification and counterproductive work behaviors: Examining a moderated mediation model. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(2), 250–271. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1979.
London, M., & Stumpf, S. A. (1983). Effects of candidate characteristics on management promotion decisions: An experimental study. Personnel Psychology, 36(2), 241–259. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1983.tb01435.x.
Luksyte, A., & Spitzmueller, C. (2016). When are overqualified employees creative? It depends on contextual factors. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 37(5), 635–653. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2054.
Luksyte, A., Bauer, T. N., Debus, M. E., Erdogan, B., & Wu, C. H. (2022). Perceived overqualification and collectivism orientation: Implications for work and nonwork outcomes. Journal of Management, 48(2), 319–349. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206320948602. Article 0149206320948602.
Ma, C., Ganegoda, D. B., Chen, Z. X., Jiang, X., & Dong, C. (2020a). Effects of perceived overqualification on career distress and career planning: Mediating role of career identity and moderating role of leader humility. Human Resource Management, 59(6), 521–536. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22009.
Ma, C., Lin, X., & Wei, W. (2020b). Linking perceived overqualification with task performance and proactivity? An examination from self-concept-based perspective. Journal of Business Research, 118, 199–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.06.041.
Maynard, D. C., Joseph, T. A., & Maynard, A. M. (2006). Underemployment, job attitudes, and turnover intentions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27(4), 509–536. https://doi.org/10.2307/4093914.
McKay, P. F., & Avery, D. R. (2008). in Morris, M. A. Mean racial-ethnic differences in employee sales performance: The moderating role of diversity climate. Personnel Psychology, 61(2), 349–374. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2008.00116.x.
Ng, T. W. H., Eby, L. T., Sorensen, K. L., & Feldman, D. C. (2005). Predictors of objective and subjective career success: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 58(2), 367–408. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2005.00515.x.
Park, Y. (2010). The predictors of subjective career success: An empirical study of employee development in a korean financial company. International Journal of Training and Development, 14(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2419.2009.00337.x.
Paustian-Underdahl, S. C., Halbesleben, J. R. B., Carlson, D. S., & Kacmar, K. M. (2016). The work-family interface and promotability: Boundary integration as a double-edged sword. Journal of Management, 42(4), 960–981. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206313506464.
Peiperl, M., Arthur, M. B., Goffee, R., & Morris, T. (2000). Career frontiers: New conceptions of working lives. Oxford university press.
Peng, X., Yu, K., Peng, J., Zhang, K., & Xue, H. (2023). Perceived overqualification and proactive behavior: The role of anger and job complexity. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 141, 103847. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2023.103847.
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879.
Preacher, K. J., Rucker, D. D., & Hayes, A. F. (2007). Addressing moderated mediation hypotheses: Theory, methods, and prescriptions. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 42(1), 185–227. https://doi.org/10.1080/00273170701341316.
Qingxiong, W., Chuanhu, P., Weilin, C., & Youmin, X. (2016). The relationship between big-five personality and subjective career success: A meta-analysis of the prior 15-year researches. Management Review, 28(1), 83.
Rogers, W. M., & Schmitt, N. (2004). Parameter recovery and model fit using multidimensional composites: A comparison of four empirical parceling algorithms. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 39(3), 379–412. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr3903_1.
Rudolph, C. W., Lavigne, K. N., Katz, I. M., & Zacher, H. (2017). Linking dimensions of career adaptability to adaptation results: A meta-analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 102, 151–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2017.06.003.
Savickas, M. L. (2013). Career construction theory and practice. In S. D. Brown, & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career Development and Counseling: Putting theory and research to work (2nd ed., 2 vol., pp. 147–183). John Wiley & Sons.
Savickas, M. L., & Porfeli, E. J. (2012). Career Adapt-Abilities Scale: Construction, reliability, and measurement equivalence across 13 countries. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(3), 661–673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.01.011.
Seibert, S. E., Crant, J. M., & Kraimer, M. L. (1999). Proactive personality and career success. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84(3), 416. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.84.3.416.
Sguera, F., Bagozzi, R. P., Huy, Q. N., Boss, R. W., & Boss, D. S. (2018). The more you care, the worthier I feel, the better I behave: How and when supervisor support influences (un)ethical employee behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 153(3), 615–628. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3339-8.
Stinglhamber, F., & Vandenberghe, C. (2003). Organizations and supervisors as sources of support and targets of commitment: A longitudinal study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 24(3), 251–270. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.192.
Sun, S., & van Emmerik, H. I. (2015). Are proactive personalities always beneficial? Political skill as a moderator. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(3), 966. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037833.
Sverko, I., & Babarovic, T. (2019). Applying career construction model of adaptation to career transition in adolescence: A two-study paper. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 111, 59–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2018.10.011.
Thacker, R. A., & Wayne, S. J. (1995). An examination of the relationship between upward influence tactics and assessments of promotability. Journal of Management, 21(4), 739–756. https://doi.org/10.1016/0149-2063(95)90008-x.
Tolentino, L. R., Garcia, P. R. J. M., Restubog, S. L. D., Bordia, P., & Tang, R. L. (2013). Validation of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale and an examination of a model of career adaptation in the philippine context. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 83(3), 410–418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2013.06.013.
Van Scotter, J., Motowidlo, S. J., & Cross, T. C. (2000). Effects of task performance and contextual performance on systemic rewards. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(4), 526. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.85.4.526.
Weiss, H. M. (2002). Deconstructing job satisfaction: Separating evaluations, beliefs and affective experiences. Human Resource Management Review, 12(2), 173–194.
Wu, C. H., Tian, A. W., Luksyte, A., & Spitzmueller, C. (2017). On the association between perceived overqualification and adaptive behavior. Personnel Review, 46(2), 339–354. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-05-2015-0134.
Wu, X., Kwan, H. K., Wu, L. Z., & Ma, J. (2018). The Effect of Workplace negative gossip on employee proactive behavior in China: The moderating role of traditionality. Journal of Business Ethics, 148(4), 801–815. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-3006-5.
Ye, X., Li, L., & Tan, X. (2017). Organizational support: Mechanisms to affect perceived overqualification on turnover intentions: A study of chinese repatriates in multinational enterprises. Employee Relations. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-11-2016-0213.
Yu, H., Guan, X., Zheng, X., & Hou, Z. (2018). Career adaptability with or without career identity: How career adaptability leads to organizational success and individual career success? Journal of Career Assessment, 26(4), 717–731. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072717727454.
Zacher, H. (2014). Career adaptability predicts subjective career success above and beyond personality traits and core self-evaluations. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 84(1), 21–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2013.10.002.
Zhang, M. J., Law, K. S., & Lin, B. (2016). You think you are big fish in a small pond? Perceived overqualification, goal orientations, and proactivity at work. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 37(1), 61–84. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2024.
Zhang, F., Wang, B., Qian, J., & Parker, S. K. (2021). Job crafting towards strengths and job crafting towards interests in overqualified employees: Different outcomes and boundary effects. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 42(5), 587–603. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2517.
Funding
This study was funded by the Shanghai Educational Science Research Project of China, grant number C2022012.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing Interests
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Li, Y., Wang, S. The path from overqualification to success: career adaptability perspective. Curr Psychol 43, 9920–9932 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05148-1
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05148-1