What Is Job Crafting?

Job crafting is, according to Wrzesniewski & Dutton (2001) is, the physical and mental adjustments employees make in the tasks, roles, and personal and social boundaries within their job and work environment; these changes are mostly self-initiated to offer meaning to the individual. Employees craft their job demands to fit their needs for an aim of better well-being. Job craft cans also be considered a form of my mantra of #Creatingyourcareerandlife. As we craft something we are creating it, therefore, we are creating our careers.

Wrzesniewski, A. and Dutton, J.E. (2001), “Crafting a job: revisioning employees as active crafters of their work”, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 26 No. 2, pp. 179-201.

What Is The Individual?

The employee team member is ultimately responsible for their career development and growth. Career preparation, coaching, mentoring, and goal setting are the main responsibility of the employee team member (Cianni & Wnuck, 1997). The employee team member must create their career based on their own desires, this is where job crafting can be utilized within a job design framework.

Cianni, M., & Wnuck, D. (1997). Individual growth and team enhancement: Moving toward a new model of career development. Academy of Management Executive, 11(1), 105-115. doi:10.5465/AME.1997.9707100663

Who is The Team?

The individual teams are a section of the collective of teams under one department. Teams normally have a leadership position held by a supervisor, manager, team lead, or a director. The role of this individual is very important to the direction of how the team develops. Anyone in one of the leadership positions mentioned has the responsibility to coach, mentor, guide, and provide continuous feedback as their team members gain new skills to perform their jobs (Cianni & Wnuck, 1997). According to Bakker, Tims, & Derks (2012) during conditions of duress in an organization the leadership may not always be readily available to mentor and provide feedback therefore, the employee team member must know how to craft their own jobs.

Bakker, A., Breidahl, E., Lee, S. J., Tims, M. & Derks, D. (2012). Proactive personality and job performance: The role of job crafting and work engagement. Human Relations, 65(10),
1359-1378.