Abstract
The influence of one’s socioeconomic status (SES) background on employee outcomes is increasingly recognized. Drawing on sociological and psychological research on SES and relative deprivation theory (RDT), we examine when and why SES background influence perceptions of overqualification and downstream behavioral reactions in the workplace. In a time-lagged, multisource field study involving 400 employees and 400 coworkers, we find that employees with higher SES backgrounds experience higher level of perceived overqualification, thus increasing both knowledge hiding and information seeking behaviors. Furthermore, relational mobility moderates the indirect effects, such that the positive effect on knowledge hiding is weakened and the positive effect on information seeking is strengthened when relational mobility is high versus when it is low. Our theory and findings highlight that SES background can have long-term impact on workplace behaviors and offer a more comprehensive view of how people’s behaviors to manage perceived overqualification may be strategic instead of plainly reactionary.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.