Li-kuo Sung | Vanderbilt University (original) (raw)

Papers by Li-kuo Sung

Academy of Management Proceedings

Academy of Management Proceedings, 2016

Taking the self-evaluation maintenance model (Tesser, 1988) perspective, we develop a self-based ... more Taking the self-evaluation maintenance model (Tesser, 1988) perspective, we develop a self-based model of pay differential effects. In this model, we show how emotion, specifically envy emotion, pl...

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2017

The authors propose that the debate on the fairness of large pay dispersion can be advanced by co... more The authors propose that the debate on the fairness of large pay dispersion can be advanced by considering people's regulatory focus. While some argue that pay dispersion is fair only when it reflects individual contribution differences, others argue that large pay dispersion is fair as employees perceive others' high pay as a signal of their own future pay. Invoking the view of regulatory focus theory, the authors suggest that pay dispersion increases pay fairness perception when employees have a strong promotion focus, whereas pay dispersion decreases fairness perception when employees have a strong prevention focus. Using two multilevel field studies-Study 1 with 827 employees in 137 teams at 42 organizations in South Korea and Study 2 with 186 employees in 46 teams at 5 high-technology organizations in Taiwan-the authors present supportive evidence of the promotion focus moderation effect. Evidence of the prevention focus moderation effect is not found.

The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2016

Self-efficacy's influence on individual job performance has been well documented in laboratory st... more Self-efficacy's influence on individual job performance has been well documented in laboratory studies. However, there have been very few rigorous field studies of self-efficacy's relationship with objectively measured individual job performance in organizational settings. This research history might account for the low take-up of self-efficacy within the business literature as well as within business itself. When it comes to studies of employee engagement, the same lack of rigorous individual studies applies, although several organizational-level studies link employee engagement to organizational performance, while its claimed benefits have been widely discussed in the business literature. Finally, the degree to which employee engagement and self-efficacy have independent and additive effects on individual-level job performance remains unknown. In order to address these issues, a longitudinal field study was undertaken within an Australian financial services firm. Using survey data linked to objectively measured job performance, we found the additive effects of self-efficacy and employee engagement explained 12% of appointments made and 39% of products sold over and above that explained by past performance. This finding suggests human resource management (HRM) practitioners should address both self-efficacy and employee engagement in order to boost job performance while encouraging HRM scholars to incorporate both measures when conducting job performance studies.

International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 2012

As the business world becomes more global many managers have spent significant time studying and ... more As the business world becomes more global many managers have spent significant time studying and working abroad. Does this overseas experience reshape how managers think about the world? In this study we examined attribution patterns of Taiwanese managers who have studied and worked abroad. We found that managers who have been abroad switch their cultural orientation as a result of being shown Western or Chinese cultural icons, but this effect only occurs for those high in bicultural identity integration (BII). We confirmed that this effect occurs when "environmental" priming is used, and also confirmed that this effect is found when examining pay allocation decisions (a typical managerial issue) in addition to attribution patterns. These results point to the benefits of hiring internationally experienced managers, but also suggest that international experience may not be enough-companies need to also assess managers' BII to know if foreign experience will truly translate into culturally appropriate cognitive flexibility.

Applied Psychology, 2022

Past research has found that employees who view themselves as overqualified for their jobs tend t... more Past research has found that employees who view themselves as overqualified for their jobs tend to hold negative job attitudes and be unwilling to go beyond the call of duty. In challenging situations such as during the COVID-19 crisis, when having "all hands-on deck" may be important to an organization's survival, mitigating the negative tendencies of these employees becomes important. Adopting a sensemaking perspective on crisis management, we examine whether supervisors' self-sacrificial leadership can mitigate these negative tendencies. First, we propose that employee perceived overqualification is associated with lower levels of felt obligation to the organization and thereby lower levels of extra-role behaviors (i.e., helping and proactivity). We next propose that supervisors' self-sacrificial leadership during the COVID-19 crisis can evoke, especially when COVID-19 more strongly impacts the organization, a sense of collectivism toward the organization, which mitigates the negative association of perceived overqualification with felt obligation and thus extra-role behaviors. We tested our theorizing in samples from the UK (n = 121, Pilot Study) and US (n = 382, Main Study) in studies with a multi-wave, time-lagged design. Findings from both studies provide support for our theorizing. We discuss implications for research and practice concerning perceived overqualification during a crisis.

Academy of Management Proceedings

Academy of Management Proceedings, 2016

Taking the self-evaluation maintenance model (Tesser, 1988) perspective, we develop a self-based ... more Taking the self-evaluation maintenance model (Tesser, 1988) perspective, we develop a self-based model of pay differential effects. In this model, we show how emotion, specifically envy emotion, pl...

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2017

The authors propose that the debate on the fairness of large pay dispersion can be advanced by co... more The authors propose that the debate on the fairness of large pay dispersion can be advanced by considering people's regulatory focus. While some argue that pay dispersion is fair only when it reflects individual contribution differences, others argue that large pay dispersion is fair as employees perceive others' high pay as a signal of their own future pay. Invoking the view of regulatory focus theory, the authors suggest that pay dispersion increases pay fairness perception when employees have a strong promotion focus, whereas pay dispersion decreases fairness perception when employees have a strong prevention focus. Using two multilevel field studies-Study 1 with 827 employees in 137 teams at 42 organizations in South Korea and Study 2 with 186 employees in 46 teams at 5 high-technology organizations in Taiwan-the authors present supportive evidence of the promotion focus moderation effect. Evidence of the prevention focus moderation effect is not found.

The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2016

Self-efficacy's influence on individual job performance has been well documented in laboratory st... more Self-efficacy's influence on individual job performance has been well documented in laboratory studies. However, there have been very few rigorous field studies of self-efficacy's relationship with objectively measured individual job performance in organizational settings. This research history might account for the low take-up of self-efficacy within the business literature as well as within business itself. When it comes to studies of employee engagement, the same lack of rigorous individual studies applies, although several organizational-level studies link employee engagement to organizational performance, while its claimed benefits have been widely discussed in the business literature. Finally, the degree to which employee engagement and self-efficacy have independent and additive effects on individual-level job performance remains unknown. In order to address these issues, a longitudinal field study was undertaken within an Australian financial services firm. Using survey data linked to objectively measured job performance, we found the additive effects of self-efficacy and employee engagement explained 12% of appointments made and 39% of products sold over and above that explained by past performance. This finding suggests human resource management (HRM) practitioners should address both self-efficacy and employee engagement in order to boost job performance while encouraging HRM scholars to incorporate both measures when conducting job performance studies.

International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 2012

As the business world becomes more global many managers have spent significant time studying and ... more As the business world becomes more global many managers have spent significant time studying and working abroad. Does this overseas experience reshape how managers think about the world? In this study we examined attribution patterns of Taiwanese managers who have studied and worked abroad. We found that managers who have been abroad switch their cultural orientation as a result of being shown Western or Chinese cultural icons, but this effect only occurs for those high in bicultural identity integration (BII). We confirmed that this effect occurs when "environmental" priming is used, and also confirmed that this effect is found when examining pay allocation decisions (a typical managerial issue) in addition to attribution patterns. These results point to the benefits of hiring internationally experienced managers, but also suggest that international experience may not be enough-companies need to also assess managers' BII to know if foreign experience will truly translate into culturally appropriate cognitive flexibility.

Applied Psychology, 2022

Past research has found that employees who view themselves as overqualified for their jobs tend t... more Past research has found that employees who view themselves as overqualified for their jobs tend to hold negative job attitudes and be unwilling to go beyond the call of duty. In challenging situations such as during the COVID-19 crisis, when having "all hands-on deck" may be important to an organization's survival, mitigating the negative tendencies of these employees becomes important. Adopting a sensemaking perspective on crisis management, we examine whether supervisors' self-sacrificial leadership can mitigate these negative tendencies. First, we propose that employee perceived overqualification is associated with lower levels of felt obligation to the organization and thereby lower levels of extra-role behaviors (i.e., helping and proactivity). We next propose that supervisors' self-sacrificial leadership during the COVID-19 crisis can evoke, especially when COVID-19 more strongly impacts the organization, a sense of collectivism toward the organization, which mitigates the negative association of perceived overqualification with felt obligation and thus extra-role behaviors. We tested our theorizing in samples from the UK (n = 121, Pilot Study) and US (n = 382, Main Study) in studies with a multi-wave, time-lagged design. Findings from both studies provide support for our theorizing. We discuss implications for research and practice concerning perceived overqualification during a crisis.