Perceived overqualification and service behavior: a moderated mediation model of nurses’ silence toward patient safety and praise from patients

Purpose Using conservation of resources (COR) theory as our theoretical basis, we investigate how nurses’ perceived overqualification influences their service behavior. In doing so, we highlight nurses’ silence toward patient safety and praise from patients as a mediator and moderator, respectively. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 201 nurses employed in a Greek public hospital. To examine the present hypotheses, we used the PROCESS macro. Findings We found that nurses’ perceived overqualification affects their silence toward patient safety, which in turn leads to reduced levels of service behavior. Furthermore, praise from patients attenuated the relationship of perceived overqualification with nurses’ silence toward patient safety, such that this association was significant only when praise from patients was low. Similarly, the indirect linkage of perceived overqualification with service behavior through nurses’ silence toward patient safety was significant only for nurses who had low levels of praise from patients. Originality/value This is one of the few studies that examine the phenomenon of perceived overqualification in nursing. Specifically, the potential effect of nurses’ perceived overqualification on their service behavior has been neglected. In addition, less is known about how nurse-patient interaction mitigates or boosts nurses’ experience of overqualification. By investigating the mediating and moderating mechanisms, this study extends the existing literature regarding why and how perceived overqualification affects nurses’ service behavior. Based on our findings, we discuss implications for theory and practice.