The "Overqualification-Motivation Paradox": When Rewards Backfire on High-Skill Employees

Zhu et al. (2024) found that rewards for knowledge sharing only motivated overqualified employees when rewards were high, otherwise inhibiting them. This contradicts self-determination theory’s claim that rewards universally undermine autonomy. I propose a mixed-methods study to unpack this paradox: Why do overqualified employees interpret low rewards as controlling? Building on Gagné et al.’s (2017) self-determination framework, we’d test whether overqualified employees perceive rewards as signals of underutilization, triggering reactance (a motivation to assert competence). Qualitative interviews could reveal whether tailored rewards (e.g., autonomy, complex tasks) mitigate this effect. This would extend Zhu’s work by identifying boundary conditions where rewards harm motivation and proposing a redesign of incentive systems for talent retention.

References:

1. Does perceived overqualification promote (or inhibit) knowledge-sharing behavior? The roles of intrinsic motivation and rewards for knowledge sharing. Yanghao Zhu, Yunpeng Xu, Yannan Zhang (2024). Journal of Knowledge Management.
2. Self-determination theory applied to work motivation and organizational behavior. Marylène Gagné, E. Deci, Richard M. Ryan (2017).