How supervisor perceived overqualification influences exploitative leadership: the mediating role of job anxiety and the moderating role of psychological entitlement

Purpose Drawing on appraisal theory of emotion, this study aims to establish and test a moderated mediation model underlying the process of exploitative leadership by investigating the mediating role of job anxiety and the moderating role of psychological entitlement. Design/methodology/approach We collected two-wave questionnaire data from 355 supervisors with matched responses from 1,065 subordinates in Hubei province of China. Hierarchical multiple regression and PROCESS macro were applied to test our hypotheses. Findings The results indicated that supervisor perceived overqualification prompted supervisor job anxiety, which then led to raised exploitative leadership. Additionally, we found that supervisor psychological entitlement intensified the direct effect of supervisor perceived overqualification on supervisor job anxiety as well as the indirect effect of supervisor perceived overqualification on exploitative leadership through supervisor job anxiety. Originality/value Although researchers have documented a growing number of consequences of exploitative leadership, less focus has been placed on its antecedents. The study extends our understanding of why, how and when supervisors engage in exploitative behaviors.