Abstract
Cyberloafng ubiquitously exists in organizations and has increasingly gained concerns among scholars and managers. Exploring the correlations among perceived overqualification, learning, performance climate, and cyberloafing is the goal of this current study. Under the conservation of resources theory, we looked into the hypothesis that perceived overqualification might influence the occurrence of cyberloafing, but resorting to learning would counter this effect, thus diminishing cyberloafing. Further, we explored the moderating effect of performance climate. We collected two-wave source data from 404 Chinese employees to test these ideas. Results support the notion that a suppressed mediational model of learning is supported empirically: perceived overqualification fosters employee cyberloafing, but also increases the propensity to learning, which decreases employee cyberloafing. Moreover, the indirect impact of perceived overqualification on cyberloafing thru learning is moderated by performance climate. On account of the results, we end up discussing the potential implications for theoretical research and for organizational management practices.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
References
Aghaz, A., & Sheikh, A. (2016). Cyberloafing and job burnout: An investigation in the knowledge-intensive sector. Computers in Human Behavior, 62, 51–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.03.069
Alharthi, S., Levy, Y., Wang, L., & Hur, I. (2021). Employees’ mobile cyberslacking and their commitment to the organization. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 61(2), 141–153. https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2019.1571455
Ames, C. (1992). Classrooms: Goals, structures, and student motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(3), 261. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.84.3.261
Ames, C., & Archer, J. (1988). Achievement goals in the classroom: Students’ learning strategies and motivation processes. Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(3), 260–267. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.80.3.260
Andel, S., Pindek, S., & Arvan, M. L. (2022). Bored, angry, and overqualified? The high- and low-intensity pathways linking perceived overqualification to behavioural outcomes. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 31(1), 47–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432x.2021.1919624
Andel, S. A., Kessler, S. R., Pindek, S., Kleinman, G., & Spector, P. E. (2019). Is cyberloafing more complex than we originally thought? Cyberloafing as a coping response to workplace aggression exposure. Computers in Human Behavior, 101, 124–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.07.013
Andreassen, C. S., Torsheim, T., & Pallesen, S. (2014). Predictors of use of social network sites at work - A specific type of cyberloafing. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 19(4), 906–921. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12085
Brislin, R. W. (1983). Cross-cultural research in psychology. Annual Review of Psychology, 34(1), 363–400. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ps.34.020183.002051
Carver, C. S. (1998). Resilience and thriving: Issues, models, and linkages. Journal of Social Issues, 54(2), 245–266. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1998.tb01217.x
Cerne, M., Nerstad, C. G. L., Dysvik, A., & Skerlavaj, M. (2014). What goes around comes around: Knowledge hiding, perceived motivational climate, and creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 57(1), 172–192. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2012.0122
Cheng, B., Zhou, X., Guo, G. X., & Yang, K. Z. (2020). Perceived overqualification and cyberloafing: A moderated-mediation model based on equity theory. Journal of Business Ethics, 164(3), 565–577. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-4026-8
Deng, H., Guan, Y., Wu, C.-H., Erdogan, B., Bauer, T., & Yao, X. (2016). 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
DeShon, R. P., & Gillespie, J. Z. (2005). A motivated action theory account of goal orientation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(6), 1096–1127. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.90.6.1096
Edwards, J. R., & Lambert, L. S. (2007). Methods for integrating moderation and mediation: A general analytical framework using moderated path analysis. Psychological Methods, 12(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.12.1.1
Erdogan, B., & Bauer, T. N. (2021). Overqualification at work: A review and synthesis of the literature. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 8, 259–283. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-012420-055831
Erdogan, B., Bauer, T. N., Peiro, J. M., & Truxillo, D. M. (2011). Overqualified employees: Making the best of a potentially bad situation for individuals and organizations. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 4(2), 215–232. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2011.01330.x
Farr, J. L., Hofmann, D. A., & Ringenbach, K. L. (1993). Goal orientation and action control theory: Implications for industrial and organizational psychology. In C. L. Cooper & I. T. Robertson (Eds.), International review of industrial and organizational psychology, (pp. 193–232). Wiley.
Feldman, D. C. (2011). Theoretical frontiers for underemployment research. In D. C. Maynard & D. C. Feldman (Eds.), Underemployment: Psychological, Economic, and Social Challenges (pp. 277–305). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9413-4_14
Flinchbaugh, C., Luth, M. T., & Li, P. (2015). A challenge or a hindrance? Understanding the effects of stressors and thriving on life satisfaction. International Journal of Stress Management, 22(4), 323. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039136
Garrett, R. K., & Danziger, J. N. (2008). On cyberslacking: Workplace status and personal internet use at work. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 11(3), 287–292. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2007.0146
Goh, Z., Eva, N., Kiazad, K., Jack, G. A., De Cieri, H., & Spreitzer, G. M. (2022). An integrative multilevel review of thriving at work: Assessing progress and promise. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 43(2), 197–213. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2571
Halbesleben, J. R., & Wheeler, A. R. (2008). The relative roles of engagement and embeddedness in predicting job performance and intention to leave. Work & Stress, 22(3), 242–256. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370802383962
Halisah, A., Jayasingam, S., Ramayah, T., & Popa, S. (2021). Social dilemmas in knowledge sharing: An examination of the interplay between knowledge sharing culture and performance climate. Journal of Knowledge Management, 25(7), 1708–1725. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-08-2020-0631
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
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.44.3.513
Ketchen, D. J., Craighead, C. W., & Buckley, M. R. (2008). Time bandits: How they are created, why they are tolerated, and what can be done about them. Business Horizons, 51(2), 141–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2007.11.005
Khan, J., Saeed, I., Fayaz, M., Zada, M., & Jan, D. (2022). Perceived overqualification? Examining its nexus with cyberloafing and knowledge hiding behaviour: harmonious passion as a moderator. Journal of Knowledge Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-09-2021-0700
Kim, M., Baek, S. I., & Shin, Y. (2020). The effect of the congruence between job characteristics and personality on job crafting. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(1), 52. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17010052
Kühnel, J., Vahle-Hinz, T., de Bloom, J., & Syrek, C. J. (2017). Staying in touch while at work: Relationships between personal social media use at work and work-nonwork balance and creativity. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(10), 1235–1261. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2017.1396551
Lim, V. K. G., & Chen, D. J. Q. (2012). Cyberloafing at the workplace: Gain or drain on work? Behaviour & Information Technology, 31(4), 343–353. https://doi.org/10.1080/01449290903353054
Lin, B., Law, K. S., & Zhou, J. (2017). Why is underemployment related to creativity and OCB? A task-crafting explanation of the curvilinear moderated relations. Academy of Management Journal, 60(1), 156–177. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2014.0470
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
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
Luqman, A., Masood, A., Shahzad, F., Rasheed, M. I., & Weng, Q. X. (2020). Enterprise social media and cyber-slacking: An integrated perspective. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 36(15), 1426–1436. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2020.1752475
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/10.1002/job.389
Men, C. H., Fong, P. S. W., Huo, W. W., Zhong, J., Jia, R. Q., & Luo, J. L. (2020). Ethical leadership and knowledge hiding: A moderated mediation model of psychological safety and mastery climate. Journal of Business Ethics, 166(3), 461–472. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-4027-7
Mercado, B. K., Giordano, C., & Dilchert, S. (2017). A meta-analytic investigation of cyberloafing. Career Development International, 22(5), 546–564. https://doi.org/10.1108/cdi-08-2017-0142
Nerstad, C. G. L., Roberts, G. C., & Richardsen, A. M. (2013a). Achieving success at work: Development and validation of the M otivational C limate at W ork Q uestionnaire (MCWQ). Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43(11), 2231–2250. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12174
Nerstad, C. G. L., Roberts, G. C., & Richardsen, A. M. (2013b). Person–situation dynamics and well-being at work: An achievement goal theory perspective. In C. L. Cooper & R. J. Burke (Eds.), The fulfilling workplace: The organization's role in achieving individual and organizational health, (pp. 121–138). Surrey, UK: Gower Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315557953
Nerstad, C. G. L., Searle, R., Černe, M., Dysvik, A., Škerlavaj, M., & Scherer, R. (2018). Perceived mastery climate, felt trust, and knowledge sharing. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(4), 429–447. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2241
Nicholls, J. G. (1989). The competitive ethos and democratic education. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.27-1049
Nusrat, A., He, Y., Luqman, A., Waheed, A., & Dhir, A. (2021). Enterprise social media and cyber-slacking: A Kahn’s model perspective. Information & Management, 58(1), 103405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2020.103405
Ommundsen, Y., & Roberts, G. C. (1999). Effect of motivational climate profiles on motivational indices in team sport. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 9(6), 389–397. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.1999.tb00261.x
Podsakoff, N. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 885(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
Podsakoff, P. M., & Organ, D. W. (1986). Self-reports in organizational research - problems and prospects. Journal of Management, 12(4), 531–544. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920638601200408
Porath, C., Spreitzer, G., Gibson, C., & Garnett, F. G. (2012). Thriving at work: Toward its measurement, construct validation, and theoretical refinement. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33(2), 250–275. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.756
Salancik, G. R., & Pfeffer, J. (1978). A social information processing approach to job attitudes and task design. Administrative Science Quarterly, 23(2), 224–253. https://doi.org/10.2307/2392563
Saxbe, D. E., Repetti, R. L., & Graesch, A. P. (2011). Time spent in housework and leisure: Links with parents’ physiological recovery from work. Journal of Family Psychology, 25(2), 271–281. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023048
Sheikh, A., Aghaz, A., & Mohammadi, M. (2019). Cyberloafing and personality traits: An investigation among knowledge-workers across the Iranian knowledge-intensive sectors. Behaviour & Information Technology, 38(12), 1213–1224. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2019.1580311
Sheikh, A., Atashgah, M. S., & Adibzadegan, M. (2015). The antecedents of cyberloafing: A case study in an Iranian copper industry. Computers in Human Behavior, 51, 172–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.04.042
Shrout, P. E., & Bolger, N. (2002). Mediation in experimental and nonexperimental studies: New procedures and recommendations. Psychological Methods, 7(4), 422–445. https://doi.org/10.1037//1082-989x.7.4.422
Tandon, A., Kaur, P., Ruparel, N., Islam, J. U., & Dhir, A. (2022). Cyberloafing and cyberslacking in the workplace: Systematic literature review of past achievements and future promises. Internet Research, 32(1), 55–89. https://doi.org/10.1108/intr-06-2020-0332
Tsai, H.-Y. (2023). Do you feel like being proactive day? How Daily Cyberloafing Influences Creativity and Proactive Behavior: The Moderating Roles of Work Environment. Computers in Human Behavior, 138, 107470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107470
Usman, M., Javed, U., Shoukat, A., & Bashir, N. A. (2021). Does meaningful work reduce cyberloafing? Important roles of affective commitment and leader-member exchange. Behaviour & Information Technology, 40(2), 206–220. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929x.2019.1683607
Van Dijk, H., Shantz, A., & Alfes, K. (2020). Welcome to the bright side: Why, how, and when overqualification enhances performance. Human Resource Management Review, 30(2), 100688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2019.04.004
Wu, J., Mei, W., Liu, L., & Ugrin, J. C. (2020). The bright and dark sides of social cyberloafing: Effects on employee mental health in China. Journal of Business Research, 112, 56–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.02.043
Zhang, J. W., Akhtar, M. N., Zhang, Y. J., & Sun, S. (2020). Are overqualified employees bad apples? A dual-pathway model of cyberloafing. Internet Research, 30(1), 289–313. https://doi.org/10.1108/intr-10-2018-0469
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
Zhao, X., Lynch, J. G., Jr., & Chen, Q. (2010). Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and Truths about Mediation Analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(2), 197–206. https://doi.org/10.1086/651257
Zhou, B., Li, Y., Hai, M., Wang, W., & Niu, B. (2021). Challenge-hindrance stressors and cyberloafing: A perspective of resource conservation versus resource acquisition. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01505-0
Zhu, J. Q., Wei, H. G., Li, H., & Osburn, H. (2021). The paradoxical effect of responsible leadership on employee cyberloafing: A moderated mediation model. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 32(4), 597–624. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21432
Zoghbi-Manrique-de-Lara, P., & Sharifiatashgah, M. (2021). The relationship between perceived crowding and cyberloafing in open offices at Iranian IT-based companies. Cognition Technology & Work, 23(2), 331–342. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-020-00627-y
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant number 71872130).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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
Tan, Z., Yan, S. & Xia, Q. Perceived overqualification and cyberloafing: the role of learning and performance climate. Curr Psychol 42, 28253–28262 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03913-2
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03913-2