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<p>Perceived overqualification (POQ), the perception that personal qualifications exceed role requirements, is increasingly prevalent in today’s workforce. Although prior research has primarily focused on its detrimental consequences, relatively little is known about the mechanisms through which POQ may generate positive employee outcomes. Addressing this gap, we draw on uncertainty management theory to examine how POQ promotes job crafting through felt uncertainty and how this indirect effect is shaped by change self-efficacy. A three-wave survey of 265 full-time employees in China was used to test the model. The findings showed that POQ was positively associated with job crafting via felt uncertainty and the mediating effect was stronger when change self-efficacy was higher. These results enhance understanding of POQ by revealing how employees, through cognitive mechanisms, cope with person-job misfit and engage in adaptive behaviors. Practically, the study underscores the value of fostering change self-efficacy to help overqualified employees turn uncertainty into opportunities for growth.</p>

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Proactive redefinition under ambiguity: how perceived overqualification shapes job crafting via felt uncertainty

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月28日

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  • Yue Gou,
  • Cheng Liu,
  • Ziyi Zhang

摘要

Perceived overqualification (POQ), the perception that personal qualifications exceed role requirements, is increasingly prevalent in today’s workforce. Although prior research has primarily focused on its detrimental consequences, relatively little is known about the mechanisms through which POQ may generate positive employee outcomes. Addressing this gap, we draw on uncertainty management theory to examine how POQ promotes job crafting through felt uncertainty and how this indirect effect is shaped by change self-efficacy. A three-wave survey of 265 full-time employees in China was used to test the model. The findings showed that POQ was positively associated with job crafting via felt uncertainty and the mediating effect was stronger when change self-efficacy was higher. These results enhance understanding of POQ by revealing how employees, through cognitive mechanisms, cope with person-job misfit and engage in adaptive behaviors. Practically, the study underscores the value of fostering change self-efficacy to help overqualified employees turn uncertainty into opportunities for growth.