The double-edged sword effect of new-generation employees’ perceived overqualification on job crafting: a cross-lagged study

This study investigates the intrinsic mechanisms linking perceived overqualification to job crafting among new-generation employees, while also examining the moderating role of job autonomy through a longitudinal questionnaire survey. Using a three-wave longitudinal survey with three-month intervals between measurements, we comprehensively assessed all variables and collected 516 valid matched samples. The sample consisted of new-generation employees (born between 1980 and 1999) from various sectors in China, including 378 corporate employees, 71 institutional employees, and 67 other types of employees. Cross-lagged and moderated analyses revealed that role width self-efficacy and job alienation mediated the relationship between perceived overqualification and job crafting. Specifically, perceived overqualification at Time 1 positively predicted role width self-efficacy and job alienation at Time 2 (β = 0.11, p < 0.05; β = 0.13, p < 0.01). In turn, role width self-efficacy at Time 2 positively influenced job crafting at Time 3 (β = 0.10, p < 0.05), whereas job alienation at Time 2 negatively affected job crafting at Time 3 (β = -0.13, p < 0.01). The interaction between perceived overqualification (T1) and job autonomy was not a significant positive predictor of role width self-efficacy (T2) (β = 0.04, p > 0.05), and the interaction between perceived overqualification (T1) and job autonomy was not a significant negative predictor of job alienation (T2) (β = -0.04, p > 0.05). The moderating effect of job autonomy was not significant in these models. The results highlight the double-edged sword effect of perceived overqualification on job crafting, revealing its multifaceted impacts. This study has implications for the career development of the new-generation employees who have a perception of excessive qualifications, and also provides important insights for the effective management and recruitment of new-generation employees in organizational management.