Perceived Overqualification, Emotional Exhaustion, and Creativity: A Moderated-Mediation Model Based on Effort-Reward Imbalance Theory.

Xiyuan Li,Fang Sun,Zhanxue Gong

doi:10.3390/ijerph182111367

Abstract

Overqualification is prevalent in times of economic downturn, and research has increasingly focused on its outcomes. This study aimed to explore the psychological burden caused by perceived overqualification (POQ) and its impact on creativity among high-tech enterprise employees. Drawing from effort–reward imbalance theory, we examined the effect of POQ on emotional exhaustion, along with the mediating role of emotional exhaustion in the POQ–creativity relationship and the moderating role of pay for performance (PFP) in strengthening the link between POQ and emotional exhaustion. Using cross-sectional data from a sample of 359 employees in China, we found that (1) POQ was positively related to emotional exhaustion; (2) emotional exhaustion was negatively related to creativity; (3) PFP moderated the effect of POQ on emotional exhaustion as well as the indirect effect of POQ on creativity via emotional exhaustion. These findings have both theoretical and practical implications.

Highlights

Even before the word pandemic re-entered the literary canon, more than one-third of the workforce felt that they had education, skills, and experience that far exceeded the requirement of their roles; namely, they were overqualified [1,2]
We conducted a series of confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) [86]
An analysis of a sample of employees in Chinese high-tech firms explored the mechanisms of influence between perceived overqualification (POQ) and creativity

Summary

Introduction

Even before the word pandemic re-entered the literary canon, more than one-third of the workforce felt that they had education, skills, and experience that far exceeded the requirement of their roles; namely, they were overqualified [1,2]. The global recession and a lack of job opportunities mean that more people feel overqualified for their position in recent years. Overqualification has attracted substantial academic and practitioner interest as a psychosocial risk factor in the workplace [4]. Both individuals and organizations are adversely affected by overqualification. Employees who feel overqualified tend to be less positive about their workplace [5], are more likely to be considering resignation [6], have a high propensity to be unproductive [7], and tend to be less healthy than others in the workforce [8]. The relationship between overqualification and creativity is important but has not been thoroughly researched [12], and it is ambiguous

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion