Does perceived overqualification lead to cyberloafing? A moderated-mediation model based on social cognitive theory
ISSN: 1750-614X
Article publication date: 22 July 2024
Issue publication date: 16 January 2025
Abstract
Purpose
Based on social cognitive theory, this study aims to investigate the influence of perceived overqualification (POQ) on employees’ cyberloafing behavior. The mediating role of moral disengagement and the moderating roles of organizational identification (OID) and organizational decline are further examined.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected 740 valid questionnaires from participants across multiple organizations. To minimize common method bias (CMB) and enhance the reliability of the findings, data were gathered at two different time points, with a 30-day interval.
Findings
POQ positively impacts cyberloafing through the mechanism of moral disengagement. Additionally, the indirect relationship between POQ and cyberloafing via moral disengagement is moderated by OID and organizational decline. Specifically, a higher degree of OID weakens the indirect effect of POQ on cyberloafing, while a higher level of perceived organizational decline strengthens this effect.
Originality/value
While most existing studies on cyberloafing focus on insufficient resources, such as role conflict and workload, the authors propose that surplus personal resources, exemplified by POQ, can also lead to cyberloafing. This research contributes to a broader understanding of antecedents of cyberloafing, highlighting the mechanism of ethical considerations and the interplay between personal qualifications, organizational identification and organizational decline.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Disclosure statement: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
This work was supported by the “Double-First Class” project of Beijing Foreign Studies University (2022SYLZD001), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China, Beijing Foreign Studies University (2024JJ002), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (71902012). The funding source had no involvement in study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in the writing of the report, or in the decision to submit the article for publication.
Data availability statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the first author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.
Citation
Wang, M., Liu, Y. and Lang, Y. (2025), "Does perceived overqualification lead to cyberloafing? A moderated-mediation model based on social cognitive theory", Chinese Management Studies, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 549-566. https://doi.org/10.1108/CMS-12-2023-0690
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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