Exploring the effect of perceived overqualification on knowledge hiding: The role of psychological capital and person-organization fit

Abstract

Individuals' knowledge hiding behavior may lead to massive economic losses to organizations, and exploring the antecedents of it has crucial relevance for mitigating its negative influences. This research aims to investigate the impact of perceived overqualification on knowledge hiding by testing the mediating effect of psychological capital and the moderating effect of person-organization fit. Empirical analyses were conducted on 249 employee dataset using versions SPSS 26 and AMOS 26. Results illustrate an inverse correlation between perceived overqualification and knowledge hiding behavior which is partly mediated by psychological capital and moderated by person-organization fit, implying that good organizational atmosphere that builds up individual psychological capital with better person-organization fit will allow employees to work positively to reduce knowledge hiding behavior when perceived overqualified. This study complements a small quantity of discussions on the positive impact of perceived overqualification on knowledge management and fills omissions in previous studies on the negative effect of perceived overqualification on knowledge hiding behavior in changing surroundings.

Overqualification of Employees and Knowledge Hiding in the Dynamic Social Environment

“…Firstly, having too much experience does not necessarily mean relative deprivation or talent waste. Some research findings also indicate that employees who perceive excessive qualifications tend to focus more on their remaining abilities rather than inadequate working conditions, and will actively seize opportunities to complete more tasks, resulting in better performance (Zhu et al, 2022). Employees can use their surplus qualifications to regulate their psychology and do more things.…”

The Roles of Respectful Leadership and Overqualified Employees on Knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Hiding

“…When individuals have excessive abilities, at least in their own eyes, they are likely to take a positive approach, that is, be willing to use those abilities to help their peers . Individuals with stronger abilities are often better at understanding, interpreting, and using a variety of information (Zhu et al, 2022). H1 : Employees who perceive themselves as overqualified tend to be willing to share knowledge.…”

Unveiling the nexus between perceived overqualification and knowledge hiding: Moderated mediation analysis of job crafting and job boredom

“…POQ can negatively affect individuals' motivation to perform well in their jobs. When individuals feel that their skills and abilities are not fully utilized or recognized, they may lose motivation to exert effort and engage in their work, resulting in boredom [ 39 ]. According to person-job fit theory, misalignment between an individual's qualifications and job responsibilities may lead to job boredom [ 11 ].…”