TY - JOUR
T1 - Overachieving and Obsessive Behavior as Signaling Devices under Career Concern
AU - Rodivilov, Alexander
AU - Shin, Dongsoo
AU - Zhao, Xiaojian
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Mohr Siebeck.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - This paper provides an economic rationale for overachieving behavior in nonprofessional activities in the labor market. The intrinsically motivated worker uses his achievement in nonprofessional activity to signal his work ethic. When the worker’s career concern is weak, he exerts no extra effort on nonprofessional activity. When the worker’s career concern is strong, however, his effort level for the nonprofessional activity can go beyond the bliss point. With a very strong career concern, an obsessive behavior can arise in equilibrium, as the intrinsically motivated worker may choose to sacrifice the professional activity for the nonprofessional one in an earlier stage of his career.
AB - This paper provides an economic rationale for overachieving behavior in nonprofessional activities in the labor market. The intrinsically motivated worker uses his achievement in nonprofessional activity to signal his work ethic. When the worker’s career concern is weak, he exerts no extra effort on nonprofessional activity. When the worker’s career concern is strong, however, his effort level for the nonprofessional activity can go beyond the bliss point. With a very strong career concern, an obsessive behavior can arise in equilibrium, as the intrinsically motivated worker may choose to sacrifice the professional activity for the nonprofessional one in an earlier stage of his career.
KW - career concern
KW - obsession
KW - overachievement
KW - signaling
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85146397342&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1628/jite-2022-0015
DO - 10.1628/jite-2022-0015
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85146397342
SN - 0932-4569
VL - 178
SP - 311
EP - 331
JO - Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics
JF - Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics
IS - 4
ER -