Cross Culture Examination of Perceived Overqualification, Psychological Well-Being and Job Search: The Moderating Role of Proactive Behavior
Alaa Amin Abdalla,1 Imran Saeed,2 Jawad Khan3 1Academic Programs for Military Colleges, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 2IBMS, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan; 3College of Management, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Im...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Dove Medical Press
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Psychology Research and Behavior Management |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.dovepress.com/cross-culture-examination-of-perceived-overqualification-psychological-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-PRBM |
| _version_ | 1797305359458631680 |
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| author | Abdalla AA Saeed I Khan J |
| author_facet | Abdalla AA Saeed I Khan J |
| author_sort | Abdalla AA |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Alaa Amin Abdalla,1 Imran Saeed,2 Jawad Khan3 1Academic Programs for Military Colleges, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 2IBMS, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan; 3College of Management, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Imran Saeed, Email imranktk1984@gmail.comPurpose: This study delves into the intricate interplay between perceived overqualification, job search behavior, psychological well-being, and proactive behavior, within two distinct and diverse work settings.Methods: Drawing upon the Person-Job Fit theory, we investigated these dynamics in two unique samples: Sample 1 encompassed corporate sector employees in the United Arab Emirates (N=409), while Sample 2 comprised IT sector workers in Pakistan (N=337). Hayes PROCESS macro were used to examine the proposed hypotheses and AMOS (Version 28) were conducted to examine model fitness.Results: In Study 1, we established a positive association between perceived overqualification and job search behavior among employees in the UAE corporate sector. Notably, this relationship was mediated by psychological well-being, suggesting that the impact of perceived overqualification on job search behavior is, in part, channeled through its effects on individuals’ psychological well-being. Study 2 showed that proactive behavior exhibited a moderating effect on the negative link between perceived overqualification and psychological well-being. Specifically, employees displaying higher levels of proactive behavior demonstrated a less adverse influence of perceived overqualification on psychological well-being. Importantly, this adaptive effect of proactive behavior was found to indirectly influence job search behavior.Discussion: The findings highlight the nature of perceived overqualification in the workplace and its varying impact on employee behavior and well-being across different cultural and work settings. The mediation by psychological well-being and moderation by proactive behavior in these relationships underscores the importance of individual responses to perceived job fit issues. These insights are crucial for understanding employee behavior in diverse work environments and can inform practices for managing perceived overqualification.Keywords: perceived overqualification, psychological well-being, job search behavior, proactive behavior, P-J fit theory |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:25:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5738e48670604f63af5312dbc23dd603 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1179-1578 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:25:41Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Dove Medical Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Psychology Research and Behavior Management |
| spelling | doaj.art-5738e48670604f63af5312dbc23dd6032024-02-15T19:18:25ZengDove Medical PressPsychology Research and Behavior Management1179-15782024-02-01Volume 1755356690484Cross Culture Examination of Perceived Overqualification, Psychological Well-Being and Job Search: The Moderating Role of Proactive BehaviorAbdalla AASaeed IKhan JAlaa Amin Abdalla,1 Imran Saeed,2 Jawad Khan3 1Academic Programs for Military Colleges, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 2IBMS, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan; 3College of Management, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Imran Saeed, Email imranktk1984@gmail.comPurpose: This study delves into the intricate interplay between perceived overqualification, job search behavior, psychological well-being, and proactive behavior, within two distinct and diverse work settings.Methods: Drawing upon the Person-Job Fit theory, we investigated these dynamics in two unique samples: Sample 1 encompassed corporate sector employees in the United Arab Emirates (N=409), while Sample 2 comprised IT sector workers in Pakistan (N=337). Hayes PROCESS macro were used to examine the proposed hypotheses and AMOS (Version 28) were conducted to examine model fitness.Results: In Study 1, we established a positive association between perceived overqualification and job search behavior among employees in the UAE corporate sector. Notably, this relationship was mediated by psychological well-being, suggesting that the impact of perceived overqualification on job search behavior is, in part, channeled through its effects on individuals’ psychological well-being. Study 2 showed that proactive behavior exhibited a moderating effect on the negative link between perceived overqualification and psychological well-being. Specifically, employees displaying higher levels of proactive behavior demonstrated a less adverse influence of perceived overqualification on psychological well-being. Importantly, this adaptive effect of proactive behavior was found to indirectly influence job search behavior.Discussion: The findings highlight the nature of perceived overqualification in the workplace and its varying impact on employee behavior and well-being across different cultural and work settings. The mediation by psychological well-being and moderation by proactive behavior in these relationships underscores the importance of individual responses to perceived job fit issues. These insights are crucial for understanding employee behavior in diverse work environments and can inform practices for managing perceived overqualification.Keywords: perceived overqualification, psychological well-being, job search behavior, proactive behavior, P-J fit theoryhttps://www.dovepress.com/cross-culture-examination-of-perceived-overqualification-psychological-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-PRBMperceived overqualificationpsychological well-beingjob search behaviorproactive behaviorp-j fit theory |
| spellingShingle | Abdalla AA Saeed I Khan J Cross Culture Examination of Perceived Overqualification, Psychological Well-Being and Job Search: The Moderating Role of Proactive Behavior Psychology Research and Behavior Management perceived overqualification psychological well-being job search behavior proactive behavior p-j fit theory |
| title | Cross Culture Examination of Perceived Overqualification, Psychological Well-Being and Job Search: The Moderating Role of Proactive Behavior |
| title_full | Cross Culture Examination of Perceived Overqualification, Psychological Well-Being and Job Search: The Moderating Role of Proactive Behavior |
| title_fullStr | Cross Culture Examination of Perceived Overqualification, Psychological Well-Being and Job Search: The Moderating Role of Proactive Behavior |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cross Culture Examination of Perceived Overqualification, Psychological Well-Being and Job Search: The Moderating Role of Proactive Behavior |
| title_short | Cross Culture Examination of Perceived Overqualification, Psychological Well-Being and Job Search: The Moderating Role of Proactive Behavior |
| title_sort | cross culture examination of perceived overqualification psychological well being and job search the moderating role of proactive behavior |
| topic | perceived overqualification psychological well-being job search behavior proactive behavior p-j fit theory |
| url | https://www.dovepress.com/cross-culture-examination-of-perceived-overqualification-psychological-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-PRBM |
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