Trust in organizations has become a focus of researchers and practitioners, given its profound impact on employee behaviors and organizational outcomes. Feeling trusted from supervisor is generally perceived as a positive force that enhances employee motivation, job satisfaction, and performance. However, recent studies have suggested that the relationship between feeling trusted from supervisor and employee behaviors may not be linear. Instead, excessive trust can lead to unintended negative consequences. According to self-evaluation theory, individuals will adjust their self-evaluation of abilities and values based on external feedback. When employees perceive high levels of trust from their supervisor, they may develop an inflated sense of self-worth, leading to overqualification perceptions and subsequent negative behaviors. Conversely, low levels of perceived trust might also result in feelings of underutilization and overqualification, prompting employees to engage in deviant behaviors as a form of coping or resistance. To address this complex relationship, this study aims to investigate the U-shaped relationship between feeling trusted from supervisors and perceived overqualification, and its distal impact on employee deviant behavior and moderating effect of extrinsic motivation.

To test the hypothesized relationships and ensure both internal and external validity, we conducted an experimental study (study 1) and a survey study (study 2). In study 1, we utilized a single-factor, three-level between-subjects design, randomly assigning 170 participants to one of three conditions. Participants first provided demographic information. Then, all participants were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: "low feeling trusted from supervisor " (N = 57), "medium feeling trusted from supervisor " (N = 57), and "high feeling trusted from supervisor " (N = 56). After reading, they completed the measurement of manipulation test, perceived overqualification, and deviant behavior based on their recalled true feelings. In study 2, a multi-time-point survey was conducted involving 303 leader-employee dyads from various organizations. The study design included three distinct phases to mitigate common method bias. At Time 1, employees were asked to complete a survey measuring their perceived trusted from their supervisor and their extrinsic motivation. At Time 2, employees reported on their perceived overqualification, reflecting their self-assessment of whether their skills and qualifications exceeded job requirements. Finally, at Time 3, employee’s supervisor provided an independent rating of employees deviant behavior.

The statistical analyses provided robust evidence supporting the hypothesized relationships. First, the results confirmed a significant U-shaped relationship between feeling trusted from supervisor and perceived overqualification. Specifically, employees who perceived moderate levels of trust from their supervisor reported lower levels of perceived overqualification, suggesting that a balanced level of trust helps align employees' self-assessment with their actual job requirements. In contrast, both low and high levels of perceived trust were associated with higher perceived overqualification. Employees with higher perceived overqualification were more likely to engage in deviant behaviors, such as wasting time, gossiping, or sabotaging work, as a way to cope with their feelings of overqualification and underutilization. There is a significant U-shaped relationship between feeling trusted from supervisors and perceived overqualification, which indirectly affects employee deviant behavior. Furthermore, extrinsic motivation was found to moderate the U-shaped relationship between feeling trusted from supervisor and perceived overqualification. For employees with lower extrinsic motivation, the relationship was more pronounced, indicating that these individuals are more susceptible to the effects of perceived trust on their self-evaluation and subsequent behaviors. In contrast, employees with higher extrinsic motivation, who are more focused on external rewards and less influenced by internal psychological states, exhibited a weaker U-shaped relationship.

The findings of this study offer valuable insights into the complex interplay between feeling trusted from supervisor, perceived overqualification, and employee deviant behaviors. They highlight the importance of managing trust effectively within organizations, as both under- and over-trust can lead to negative outcomes. The findings suggest that feeling trusted from supervisor can have a "too much of a good thing" effect, influencing employee deviant behavior through perceived overqualification. The study extends the self-evaluation theory by demonstrating how external feedback, such as perceived trust, can lead to complex self-assessments and subsequent behaviors.