Mitigating work alienation in public sector service-delivery projects caused by perceived overqualification: the roles of empowering leadership and the psychological contracts
Tariq Hameed Alvi, H. Ilyas, Samia Tariq, Ahmad Qammar, Yonggui Wang
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
PurposeThe study investigates the nature of an understudied yet salient relationship between perceived overqualification (POQ) and work alienation in project management. It employs relative deprivation theory to propose two dimensions of the psychological contract, i.e. relational and transactional, as underlying mediating mechanisms and how empowering leadership mitigates the adverse effects of POQ.Design/methodology/approachTo this end, in two waves, we surveyed 232 project members of three public-sector information and communication technologies (ICT) projects in Punjab, Pakistan. The data was analyzed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe key findings are: (1) POQ leads to work alienation, (2) relational and transactional contracts mediate this relationship, and (3) empowering leadership can mitigate the adverse effects of POQ in project management settings.Originality/valueThis research adds valuable insights to the scant POQ literature in public-sector project management settings. It also contributes by identifying the mediating role of relational and transactional psychological contracts and the moderating role of empowering leadership to mitigate the adverse effects of POQ in these settings.
期刊介绍:
The International Journal of Managing Projects in Business seeks to advance the theory, research and practice of all aspects of project management. IJMPB is looking for top quality theoretical and empirical research with the aims of: promoting the understanding of project management and; encouraging the publication of novel project management insights using multidisciplinary approaches rooted in social sciences. The journal provides a much-needed resource involved in project management by exploring new avenues not often addressed in the field of project management.