Search

Crafting research has often focused solely on the work domain or examined work and non‐work life domains separately, using a variable‐centered approach. Little is known about the interactions of crafting processes in the work and non‐work domain. In this time‐lagged study, we examined (1) the relationship between job and off‐job crafting behaviours using a person‐centered approach to identify crafting profiles, (2) whether job, home and personal resources differentially predicted these profiles and (3) whether these profiles differed in relation to outcomes, that is work engagement and mental well‐being. We conducted a three‐wave, time‐lagged survey with 3‐month intervals among 2125 employees. The results revealed three profiles of active (18.0%), average (48.2%) and least active (33.9%) crafters. Analyses of predictors showed that active crafters had higher levels of home developmental possibilities and self‐efficacy than average and least active crafters, likewise for average crafters compared with least active crafters. Furthermore, active crafters had higher levels of social support at home than least active crafters. Regarding well‐being outcomes, active crafters experienced significantly higher mental well‐being than average and least active crafters and higher work engagement than least active crafters. Interventions to enhance employee's resources could stimulate crafting behaviours, ultimately improving well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous studies have generally explored the important role played by customers' negative feedback in shaping employees' behaviour, these studies have only briefly discussed the one‐sided effects of such feedback on employees' cognition or emotions. In addition, previous studies have not discussed in depth whether customers' negative feedback has both positive and negative effects. Based on the theoretical background of the cognitive–affective processing system, we constructed a dual‐path model of the impact of customers' negative feedback on job crafting via both cognitive and affective paths and investigated the moderating effect of the error management climate in this context. A three‐stage survey design was used to examine these assumptions by referencing data collected from 382 frontline employees working in various tourism and hospitality companies. In line with our expectations, we found that customers' negative feedback can have a double‐edged sword effect via these two paths and that the error management climate moderates this dual‐path mechanism. We conclude this research by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the identity literature and job crafting research, the present work investigates how occupational identity threat is positively related to individual job crafting (i.e., approach crafting and avoidance crafting) and how approach (or avoidance) crafting transforms occupational identity threat into increased job engagement and improved job performance. We also propose that the regulatory focus of individuals would moderate these relationships. After conducting two field studies, Study 1, which used data from 211 matched employee–supervisor pairs at an aluminium manufacturing company, found that occupational identity threat had a positive effect on approach and avoidance crafting. The results also showed further support for the moderating effect of prevention focus and a mediating effect of approach crafting in transferring the effect of occupational identity threat in a positive manner (i.e., higher job engagement and performance). In Study 2, we replicated the findings of Study 1 and found further evidence for the moderating effect of promotion focus and a moderated mediating effect of approach crafting on job engagement. Theoretical and practical implications of this research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Job crafting refers to the self‐initiated work behaviours employees use to change their job characteristics. According to job design theory, these crafting‐induced changes in job characteristics should impact employee outcomes. Job characteristics can therefore be proposed as a key mechanism through which job crafting affects employee outcomes and we present cross‐sectional meta‐analytic structural equation modelling of this key mechanism (K = 58 independent samples, N = 20,347 employees). Results show significant indirect effects between task resource crafting and employee outcomes (well‐being and positive job attitudes) via task resources, and significant indirect effects between social job crafting and employee outcomes (well‐being and positive job attitudes) via social resources. Results also indicated that challenge and hindrance demand crafting increase job strain via increases in job demand. Overall, our findings indicate that job characteristics are an important job crafting mechanism, that employees may have difficulty in crafting job demands in ways that produce beneficial outcomes, and that future research needs to consider simultaneously the range of mechanisms through which job crafting affects outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine human agency in organizational politics, this study investigates how employees take action to craft their working environments in response to their perception of organizational politics (POP). In Study 1, we manipulated POP using video materials in an experiment. Results from 209 participants show that POP triggered the intention to engage in both relational crafting and task crafting behaviours. In Study 2, we collected survey data from 176 supervisor–subordinate dyads. Our results replicate the findings of Study 1. Furthermore, we found significant indirect relationships between POP and two outcome variables (i.e., task performance and opportunistic behaviour) through relational crafting. The two indirect relationships were stronger for employees with lower emotional intelligence. Meanwhile, significant indirect relationships existed between POP and two outcome variables (i.e., opportunistic behaviour and turnover intention) through task crafting and these indirect relationships were stronger for employees with higher emotional intelligence. Both theoretical and managerial implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on the notion that successful crafting in one life domain spills over into another domain, we investigated the reciprocal effects between job and home crafting in 134 workers, using a shortitudinal study with a two‐week time lag. The results of cross‐lagged panel analyses suggested that there were reciprocal effects between the work and home domains of the crafting dimensions of increasing structural resources and reducing hindering social demands. Increasing social job resources lead to increasing social home resources, but the reverse is not true. No cross‐lagged effects were found for increasing challenging demands and reducing hindering structural job demands at work and home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using two intervention studies, this article examines the effectiveness of a newly developed electronic job crafting intervention (i.e., e‐intervention) that aims to stimulate task, relational, and cognitive crafting and offers a time‐efficient and cost‐effective alternative to traditional face‐to‐face job crafting interventions. In Study 1, we quantitatively and qualitatively investigate the effects of the job crafting e‐intervention on general levels of job crafting, while in study 2, we further test its direct relationship with task, relational, and cognitive crafting, and its indirect relationship with perceived person–job fit. In Study 1 (N = 59), multilevel analyses showed that the e‐intervention indeed increased general levels of job crafting immediately after the 3 weeks lasting e‐intervention. Moreover, by qualitatively investigating adherence to the intervention in the intervention group (n = 25), we found that mainly goal setting is important in stimulating job crafting. In Study 2 (N = 106), we further validated the effect on job crafting by confirming relationships with task crafting two weeks after the e‐intervention and found an indirect relationship with needs–supplies fit via task crafting. We conclude that the e‐intervention is a promising and accessible alternative to face‐to‐face job crafting interventions, especially for the specific form of task crafting. Practitioner points: We developed an electronic job crafting intervention that makes use of online technology to create a more accessible, cheaper, and less time‐consuming alternative compared with traditional face‐to‐face job crafting interventions.We found this electronic job crafting intervention to be able to foster job crafting among employees. In particular, after completing the electronic intervention, employees were found to make more changes in their job to optimize their functioning compared with before the intervention, and compared with a control group not completing the intervention.Employees who completed the e‐intervention were especially engaged in task crafting (i.e., making changes in one's task roles), which was also related to perceived levels of needs–supplies fit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study in a blue‐collar context investigates whether a job crafting intervention may facilitate employee adaptation to organizational change, while decreasing exhaustion and increasing positive attitudes towards change and safety behaviour. It was hypothesized that the intervention would increase job crafting behaviours (i.e., seeking resources, seeking challenges, and optimizing demands) resulting in decreased employee exhaustion, and improved change attitudes and employee safety behaviour (i.e., adherence to organization's standard operating procedures). The quasi‐experimental study revealed that, after the intervention (consisting of a workshop, four weeks of job crafting implementation, and an evaluative session), employees reported an increase in two of the three trained job crafting strategies (i.e., seeking challenges, optimizing demands). Moreover, those who participated in the intervention reported lower levels of exhaustion, improved cognitive and behavioural attitudes towards change, and increased safety behaviour. The intervention was found to improve the affective, cognitive, and behavioural components of a change attitude due to increases in seeking challenges. Results were similar after controlling for quality information and leadership behaviour during the change. It is concluded that a job crafting intervention and resulting job crafting behaviour can be an effective way to achieve successful adaptation to organizational change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on work–home resources model, we develop a conceptual model examining job crafting as the mediator between perceived customer participation and service employees' work‐to‐family enrichment, and organization‐based self‐esteem (OBSE) as the moderator on this indirect relationship. Using two‐wave survey data collected from hotel service employees, we found that customer participation can enrich employees' family role through increased cognitive and relational job crafting. In addition, employees' OBSE accentuates the positive linkage between customer participation and employees' relational crafting, and subsequently their work‐to‐family enrichment. This study makes important contributions to extant literature on work‐to‐family enrichment and job crafting as well. It also carries important implications for organizations to support employees' proactive participation in job crafting and enrich employees' family life. Practitioner points: Organizations should well manage customer participation in order to enhance service employees' job crafting.Managers should be aware of how different types of job crafting can enrich their employees' family domain.To cultivate effective work‐to‐family enrichment, organizations should develop employees' self‐worth and sense of competence within the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although multiple theories propose that team proactive personality shapes team climate for innovation, this theoretical proposition is yet to be tested by empirical studies. Drawing upon multiple theories (e.g., sense‐making theory and theories regarding social norms), we hypothesized a cross‐level mediation model of the effects of different operationalizations of team proactive personality on team climate for innovation, as well as individual creative performance and job crafting. We tested our hypothesized model using a 2‐wave longitudinal design collecting data from a sample of 187 employees and their supervisors nested within 38 teams from an Information Technology company. The results of multilevel mediation path analysis indicated that team proactive personality (i.e., mean, minimum, and maximum) was significantly and positively related to team climate for innovation. Further, team proactive personality at Time 1 exerted a cross‐level influence on individual creative performance (rated by supervisors) and job crafting at Time 2, through team climate for innovation. Finally, different operationalizations (mean, maximum, minimum, and standard deviation) of team proactive personality revealed differential relationships with team climate for innovation. These findings suggest that team proactive personality can influence outcomes at different levels of analyses. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. Practitioner points: Team proactive personality (i.e., mean, maximum, and minimum) positively related to team climate for innovation.Team climate for innovation positively related to both individual creativity and job crafting.Team climate for innovation mediated the top‐down effects of team proactive personality on individual creativity and job crafting.Employers may consider proactive personality as one criterion at the stages of selecting and staffing of team members for creative jobs and creative team projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Workdays are demanding and draw upon one's emotional and physical resource pools. Consequently, employees become exhausted and need to recover by replenishing their resources during and/or after their workday. Building on conservation of resources theory, we argue that employees, especially those with low job insecurity, cope with exhaustion at work by crafting social resources on the days that they are exhausted. Specifically, we expect that employees who are exhausted will use their limited resources to gain social support from their co‐workers and supervisor, but only when employees feel they can profit from this newly gained resource in the long run (i.e., when the risk of losing one's job is low). We tested this idea in a sample of 271 elementary school teachers who filled out an online daily diary at the end of each workday for a period of 10 workdays (271 × 7.31 days = 1,539 data points). Results of multilevel modelling analyses showed that there was a significant cross‐level interaction effect for perceived risk of losing one's job (i.e., job insecurity). That is, on the days that employees were exhausted, they crafted more social resources, especially when they perceived low (vs. high) job insecurity. Our study shows that exhaustion is not necessarily detrimental to employees and organizations, but may also activate employees to reduce resource loss by proactively searching for support in their work environment. Practitioner points: On a daily basis, employees who are exhausted search for social resources such as social support from colleagues.Employees especially try to deal with their exhaustion by crafting social resources when they generally feel that their job is not at risk (i.e., low job insecurity). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present daily diary study among employees from various occupational sectors used conflict and creativity theories to hypothesize that task conflict has an inverted U‐shaped relationship with employee creativity (i.e., creativity is higher at moderate than low or high levels of conflict). In addition, we argue that this curvilinear effect is likely to occur when employees proactively increase their job resources. A total of 92 employees filled out a diary survey at the end of five consecutive days. Results of multilevel analyses revealed that, as predicted, task conflict had an inverted U‐shaped link with creativity when employees increased their structural job resources. However, when employees increased their social job resources, the link was linear and positive. Our findings also showed that increasing job resources related positively to employee creativity – this effect was found for both increasing structural and social job resources. We discuss the theoretical contributions of these findings and conclude that moderate task conflict has the potential to benefit organizations. Practitioner points: Task conflict should not be eliminated because when employees deal with it in a constructive way, it can be a creative force of change.Allow employees to increase their job resources so as to become more creative.Especially encourage increasing job resources when employees encounter task conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employee work attachment has been found to predict many important work attitudes and behaviours. In this article, we hypothesize that job crafting will be positively associated with work attachment as indicated by psychological ownership of the job and affective organizational commitment. Moreover, drawing on theories and research on work meaning and work identity, we propose that the positive association between job crafting and work attachment will be stronger when employees experience tough times at work (i.e., low‐quality leader‐member dynamics that result from being rated as a poor performer, or experiencing job insecurity). We test our hypotheses in two studies: the first using cross‐sectional survey data from a sample of 295 employees matched with archival performance evaluation data and the second using data collected from two, time‐lagged surveys from a sample of 194 employees and their supervisors. Results from these two studies supported the main effect of job crafting on work attachment. Moreover, the analyses of moderators showed that job crafting was strongly related to work attachment for low performers or insecure job‐holders (i.e., those who experience tough times). The present research provides insights into how to build work attachment by highlighting the proactive role of employees and advances job crafting theory by identifying moderators of job crafting effects. Practitioner points: Employee job crafting is positively related to work attachment (e.g., feelings of job ownership and organizational commitment). Organizations should provide employees with more opportunities to job craft so that employees would get more attached to their work and may thus achieve more positive work outcomes. Low performers and insecure job‐holders develop greater work attachment through job crafting (e.g., seeking more job resources and challenges) than high performers and secure job‐holders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zooming into reduction‐oriented job crafting among employees, next to minimizing demands (i.e., making a job less strenuous), we introduced optimizing demands (i.e., simplifying the job and making work processes more efficient) and suggested that optimizing demands should be positively related to work engagement, whereas minimizing demands negatively related to work engagement. Moreover, we suggested that both forms of reduction‐oriented crafting can be transferred among colleagues, and this will particularly occur in jobs that are high on demands (workload and emotional demands), low on resources (autonomy), and when the colleagues have a high‐quality relationship. We examined these hypotheses among 65 dyads of employees who filled in a general questionnaire and a diary for three working days. Multilevel analyses supported the transmission of both job crafting dimensions among colleagues. Moreover, there is more transmission of minimizing demands among colleagues when workload and emotional demands are high and autonomy is low. Additionally, optimizing demands was transmitted among colleagues when autonomy was low and quality of relationship with colleague was high. Optimizing demands was positively related to work engagement, whereas minimizing demands was unrelated to work engagement. These findings imply that optimizing demands is a favourable behaviour and can be transmitted among colleagues under specific conditions. Practitioner points: Working smarter is related to higher work engagement Employees model their colleague's proactive behaviour Unfavourable working conditions stimulate modelling behaviour of colleagues [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper addresses two crafting strategies employees may display in different life domains in order to attain desired outcomes. On the one hand, job crafting is targeted at increasing social and structural job resources and challenging job demands. On the other hand, leisure crafting is the proactive pursuit of leisure activities targeted at goal setting, human connection, learning, and personal development. We hypothesized that job crafting relates positively to employee work engagement and meaning-making, especially when occupational role salience is high. Furthermore, we hypothesized that leisure crafting relates positively to meaning-making, especially when job crafting opportunities are low. Using a sample of 105 Dutch employees and a weekly survey with three measurements, we found support for most of our hypotheses. All job crafting dimensions related positively to work engagement when occupational role salience was high. Also, increasing structural resources related positively to meaning-making when occupational role salience was high. Leisure crafting related positively to meaning-making when job crafting opportunities were low. We discuss directions for future research on work and leisure, and suggest how employees and organizations may benefit by encouraging job and leisure crafting. Practitioner points Employees can proactively build their own work engagement using job crafting, especially when they view their work as a source of personal satisfaction and development., In workplaces where opportunities to craft are low, employees could focus on their leisure time as a source of meaning and self-reflection., Managers can empower and coach employees to proactively seek growth and self-fulfilment both at work and outside work, via job crafting and leisure crafting., Organizations and managers should encourage employees to flourish not only at work but also during leisure time, communicating that work and leisure are two life domains that can help and complement each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were twofold: first, to investigate whether both individual and team work engagement are associated with team members' perceived team performance, and, second, to explore whether shared job crafting within teams moderates the relationship between work engagement and team members' perceived team performance. Data were collected from 1,074 Finnish educational sector employees working in 102 teams. Multilevel analysis revealed that both individual and team work engagement were associated with high levels of perceived team performance. The association between work engagement (both individual and team) and perceived team performance, however, varied across teams. The variation in the individual work engagement-perceived team performance relation was explained by shared job crafting of resources (but not of challenging demands): The higher the level of increasing structural and social job resources in the team, the stronger the association between individuals' work engagement and perceived team performance in that team. To conclude, shared job crafting in a team promotes a team climate in which, by increasing individual work engagement, it is possible to enhance team performance. Practitioner points Both individual and team work engagement contribute to a team's performance., Engaged employees are able to boost team performance, especially in teams where job crafting is common., Job crafting behaviour should be promoted at both the individual and team level in order to contribute to team performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the current research was to examine to what degree basic personality dimensions serve as determinants of job crafting behaviour and to investigate how this behaviour can be influenced via behavioural intentions. In Study 1, we investigated the relationship of approach and avoidance temperament with job crafting in terms of seeking resources, seeking challenges, and reducing demands in a sample of 193 international employees. In Study 2 ( n = 130 employees), we experimentally manipulated the current motivational state in terms of approach/avoidance goals and measured job crafting behaviours in a follow-up survey. Results confirmed that employees scoring high on approach temperament report to seek resources and demands, whereas employees scoring high on avoidance temperament tend to reduce hindering demands in the workplace. Furthermore, the manipulation of goals had indirect effects on job crafting via behavioural intentions. Although the effects of the concentration on approach goals on job crafting were contradictory to our expectations, the pursuit of avoidance goals led to higher demands-reducing behaviour. Taking everything together, we provide important insights into the effects of basic personality dimensions on job crafting behaviour and highlight the possibilities and boundaries for managers to influence the job crafting behaviours of employees. Practitioner points Our study provides insights about which types of employees alter their job demands and resources., Employees scoring high on approach temperament seek resources and demands, whereas employees scoring high on avoidance temperament reduce demands., Managers are able to influence job crafting behaviour indirectly by stimulating the pursuit of approach and/or avoidance goals., A sole focus on (performance) approach goals might have hindering effects in terms of positive job crafting behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This quasi-experimental field study examines the effects of an intervention designed to boost job resources, affective well-being, and self-efficacy via job crafting behaviour. Employees ( n = 39) in a Dutch police district received a 1-day training, after which they worked towards self-set crafting goals for a period of 4 weeks. The intervention concluded with a half-day reflection session in which learning points were consolidated. Participating in the intervention was expected to boost job resources such as opportunities for development and leader-member exchange ( LMX), as well as enhance self-efficacy and positive affect and to reduce negative affect. Repeated measures ANOVAs did not yield significant results. However, pre-post comparison tests showed that the intervention group reported less negative affect as well as increased self-efficacy, developmental opportunities and LMX in the post-measure compared with the pre-measure. The control group ( n = 47) showed no significant changes from pre- to post-measure. In addition, in weeks during which individuals sought more resources, they also reported more developmental opportunities, LMX, and positive affect. Although further research is needed, the job crafting intervention seems to have potential to enable employees to proactively build a motivating work environment and to improve their own well-being. Practitioner points Job crafting is proactive behaviour at work that allows employees to redesign their own jobs., In weeks when employees actively focus on building job resources, they also find more job resources and experience more positive affect., The job crafting intervention may help employees to build resources and affective well-being at work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Job crafting research has typically examined the antecedents and outcomes of individual-level crafting. In this study, we test a model of team-level or collaborative job crafting using data collected from 242 call centre teams and supervisors' ratings of team performance. The focus on teams with narrowly defined tasks and limited decision-making responsibility are unique features of this study. As predicted, collaborative crafting was found to relate positively to team efficacy, team control, and team interdependence, which in turn were found to relate positively to work engagement and team performance. The implications for theory development, future research, and practice are discussed. Practitioner points Even in a work environment characterized by low control, there remain opportunities for collaborative job crafting., Collaborative crafting is associated with higher employee engagement and team performance., Call centre supervisors and managers need to be aware of the potential benefits of collaborative crafting to ensure it is not inhibited by their behaviours (such as enhanced monitoring)., As positive consequences are associated with collaborative crafting, organizations should consider team training to enhance the collaborative crafting capability of teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]