鋒芒畢露或和光同塵？知覺屈就員工的自我呈現困境與同事關係

Abstract

在當代組織環境中，圍繞著知覺屈就員工的探討獲得越來越多的重視。本研究探討了職場中知覺屈就員工之自我呈現對組織中的人際互動的重要性。過去相關研究主要集中在組織和領導者的觀點，忽略了知覺屈就員工的自主性，也較少研究探討知覺屈就員工與其同事之間錯綜複雜的互動。上述研究缺口突顯了需要開展相關研究以了解知覺屈就的員工是如何調整其自我呈現並與組織內其他成員互動的重要性。本研究旨在通過兩種與自我呈現有關的理論——自我驗證理論和印象管理理論，了解知覺相對屈就員工的自我呈現選擇以及人際互動，以發展理論架構並填補既有的研究缺口。藉由對此理論架構的驗證，本研究希望探討知覺屈就員工的自我呈現如何影響其與同事的互動，並了解可能影響其自我呈現方式的人格特質，例如：競爭特質。 為了達成上述研究目的，本研究採用兩階段問卷調查蒐集了知覺屈就員工以及其同事之對偶資料。研究參與者在調查中填答他們對知覺屈就、自我呈現和同事互動的想法。透過對調查資料的統計分析，本研究之研究結果支持了自我驗證理論的預測，但不支持印象管理理論之預測。具體而言，本研究發現，當知覺相對屈就的員工真實展示其能力時，其同事更可能信任和接受他們，因此這與自我驗證理論之論點一致。此外，本研究亦發現，競爭特質調節了知覺相對屈就與真實自我提升之間的關係。競爭特質較高的員工會更傾向透過展示真實能力來與同事互動，顯示這些員工在團隊中並不會避免自己出現「鋒芒畢露」的現象。 本研究之發現可帶來多個理論貢獻和實務意涵。首先，本研究豐富了知覺屈就的相關研究，藉由比較自我驗證理論和印象管理理論，我們對知覺屈就員工的自我呈現策略及其對同事互動方式有更多的了解。本研究結果顯示，自我驗證理論比印象管理理論更能有效地解釋知覺屈就員工在組織中自我呈現的偏好。本研究也發現競爭特質，在影響知覺屈就員工自我呈現選擇方面的重要性。這些研究發現為知覺相對屈就的員工提供了在職場中有效呈現自己的實務見解，也為希望優化組織人力資源但關注知覺屈就員工適應問題的組織管理者提供了管理方面的建議。

In contemporary organizational settings, discussions around perceived overqualification employees have garnered increasing attention. This study addresses the importance of understanding the dynamics of overqualified employees' self-presentation in the workplace. Previous studies predominantly focused on the perspectives of organizations and leaders, but overlooked the autonomy of perceived overqualified employees and the viewpoints of their coworkers. Therefore, previous relevant research has not yet delved into the intricate interactions between overqualified employees and their coworkers. This gap highlights the need for research that examines how overqualified employees adjust their self-presentation and interact with other members of the organization. The main objective of this study is to fill this void by comparing the explanatory power of two perspectives about self-presentationself-verification theory and impression management theoryin understanding the interpersonal interactions of overqualified employees. Specifically, this study aims to explore how overqualified employees’ self-presentation influences their interactions with coworkers and to identify the personal trait, such as trait competitiveness, that could influence their selection of self-presentation. To achieve this objective, this study employed a two-stage survey to collect dyadic data. The participants included both overqualified employees and their coworkers; they were asked to provide perspectives on overqualification, self-presentation, and coworker interactions. Through statistical analysis of the survey data, the results supported the arguments derived from self-verification theory. Specifically, this study found that when overqualified employees authentically presented their capabilities, their coworkers tended to trust and accept them, consistent with the prediction of self-verification theory. Additionally, the results revealed that competitiveness trait moderated the relationship between employees’ perceived relative overqualification and their willingness to demonstrate real capabilities. The higher the level of competitiveness, the greater the inclination to "get ahead" by presenting real capabilities. The theoretical contributions and empirical implications of this study are multifaceted. Firstly, our study contributes to the literature on overqualification by shedding light on the interpersonal dynamics between overqualified employees and their coworkers. By comparing the predictions of self-verification theory and impression management theory, we offer a nuanced understanding of the self-presentation strategies employed by overqualified employees and their influences on lateral interpersonal interactions. Our findings suggest that self-verification theory provides a more effective explanation than impression management theory in understanding the mindsets of overqualified employees and their colleagues. Additionally, our study highlights the importance of individual traits, such as competitiveness, in influencing overqualified employees' self-presentation choices. The findings of this study offer practical insights for overqualified employees on how to effectively present themselves in the workplace, and provide managerial suggestions for organizational managers who seek to optimize human resources but hold concerns about the adjustment problems of overqualified employees.