By Jonathan H. Westover, PhD
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Abstract: This research brief examines the relations between job crafting behaviors, work engagement, career satisfaction, and the moderating role of personality traits. Job crafting refers to physical and cognitive changes individuals make to their work tasks and relationships. The literature review findings indicate job crafting is positively associated with increased work engagement and career satisfaction. Personality characteristics like proactivity and conscientiousness enhance these relationships, as proactive and conscientious employees are better able to strategically craft their work for growth. However, neuroticism weakens job crafting's benefits due to negative emotional tendencies. Practical recommendations include selecting proactive job candidates, training conscientious employees in crafting, tailoring support for neurotic workers, providing crafting resources and training organization-wide, and fostering supervisor support for bottom-up job changes. Considering individual differences can help optimize engagement and satisfaction through tailored job crafting initiatives.
Job crafting, defined as "the physical and cognitive changes individuals make in their task or relational boundaries" (Wrzesniewski & Dutton, 2001, p. 179), has emerged as an area of interest for both researchers and practitioners seeking to improve employee engagement and career satisfaction.
Today we will explore the empirical findings regarding the impact of job crafting behaviors on employee work engagement and perceived career satisfaction, as well as how employee personality traits moderate these relationships. Overall, this brief aims to provide a synthesis of the current literature and practical considerations regarding how job crafting and personality may influence important employee and organizational outcomes.
Literature Review
Job Crafting and Work Engagement
A growing body of empirical research substantiates the positive relationship between job crafting and work engagement. In an influential study of over 1,000 employees across various industries, Tims, Bakker, and Derks (2012) found that the degree to which employees engaged in increasing structural job resources through job crafting was positively related to their levels of work engagement. Structural job resources involved tasks like increasing variety, learning opportunities, and autonomy. Additionally, employees who crafted their jobs to increase social job resources, such as feedback and support from coworkers and supervisors, also reported higher engagement (Tims et al., 2012).
Studies have replicated these findings. Petrou, Demerouti, Peeters, Schaufeli, and Hetland (2012) sampled 159 employees from a pharmaceutical company and observed those who crafted their jobs to increase challenges, resources, and relationships experienced more engagement. van Wingerden, Derks, and Bakker (2017) collected data from 104 employees and determined that crafting one's job scope to take on extra tasks or responsibilities correlated with higher engagement. These results suggest job crafting behaviors aimed at gaining additional resources, challenges, and social ties boost employees' sense of vigor, dedication, and absorption in their work (Schaufeli, 2013).
Job Crafting and Perceived Career Satisfaction
The ability for employees to actively shape their jobs also associates with perceptions of career satisfaction, which includes feelings of progress, fulfillment, and meaning in one's career path (Greenhaus, Callanan, & Godshalk, 2010). Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001) interviewed 31 hospital staff and found that crafting jobs for personal growth—such as taking on new challenges or pursing a career ladder—correlated with higher satisfaction. Similarly, in their study of 279 employees, Demerouti and Peeters (2018) found crafting one's job scope related positively to career satisfaction. In another investigation, employees who crafted their jobs to secure developmental challenges subsequently rated their careers as more rewarding and meaningful (Berg, Wrzesniewski, & Dutton, 2010). These links imply that crafting one's work allows employees to customize their careers in self-motivating ways that promote fulfillment.
The Role of Individual Differences
While job crafting benefits many employees, research suggests individual traits influence the strength and direction of these relationships. Personality characteristics play an important moderating role worth considering.
Proactivity
The dynamic nature of job crafting requires employees take initiative to shape their work responsibilities and interpersonal boundaries (Tims et al., 2012). Hence, proactive personality—defined as one's tendency to take action and influence their environment—facilitates the crafting process (Belschak & Den Hartog, 2010; Parker & Collins, 2010). Several investigations have uncovered proactivity as an important enhancer of the job crafting-engagement link.
In one study of 177 police officers, proactive personalities showed the strongest positive associations between job crafting behaviors like increasing challenges and resources with subsequent work engagement (Petrou et al., 2012). Similarly, van Wingerden and Poell (2017) surveyed 92 vocational schoolteachers and found levels of proactivity moderated the impact of job crafting on work engagement, such that highly proactive teachers saw the greatest benefits from crafting. Proactive individuals may be inherently comfortable seeking opportunities to shape their work in personally meaningful ways, so job crafting aligns closely with their natural inclination towards active self-management and control over their work environment.
Conscientiousness
Conscientious employees tend to be organized, diligent, and goal-oriented in their work habits (Barrick & Mount, 1991). As such, conscientiousness facilitates purposeful job crafting aimed towards enhancing job performance and career growth.
Petrou and colleagues (2017) examined how conscientiousness strengthened the association between job crafting on career satisfaction for 286 employees working in various jobs. Those higher in conscientiousness reported greater fulfillment from crafting their work to gain challenges, resources, and support. Similarly, Tims, Bakker, and Derks (2013) found conscientious individuals benefited most from crafting structural job resources like variety and autonomy in terms of feeling engaged in their work. Due to their persistent, planful approach, conscientious employees may be better poised to use job crafting strategically as a self-development tool that boosts career achievement and rewards.
Neuroticism
Neuroticism refers to one's tendency towards negative emotions like anxiety, sadness, and irritability (Costa & McCrae, 1992). This trait may weaken the impact of job crafting on engagement and satisfaction.
Specifically, research suggests neurotic personalities frustrate attempts to job craft beneficially. In their study of 452 employees, Tims and colleagues (2013) observed neuroticism diminished the positive association between crafting structural resources with engagement. Similarly, employees high on neuroticism reported smaller boosts in career fulfillment from crafting job scope compared to less neurotic peers (Petrou et al., 2017). The pessimistic outlook of neurotic individuals could hinder optimal job crafting by coloring perceptions of control and success. Their tendency towards distress may also disrupt efforts to nurture relationships and shape responsibilities proactively through crafting behaviors.
Personality factors moderate how job crafting links to important outcomes. Proactivity and conscientiousness enhance these relationships, while neuroticism undermines benefits due to incompatible tendencies. Considering individual differences provides a fuller picture of who is best positioned to leverage job crafting skills strategically for personal development, work thriving, and career fulfillment.
Practical Implications and Recommendations
Based on the literature reviewed, several implications and recommendations emerge for organizations seeking to foster job crafting.
Select for Proactive Personalities: Research indicates proactive individuals excel at crafting work in personally uplifting ways linked to motivation and performance (Petrou et al., 2012; van Wingerden & Poell, 2017). Consequently, organizations may screen candidates for tendencies towards initiating action and influencing their environment during the hiring process. Proactivity taps important capacities for self-directed job crafting over time.
Train Conscientious Crafting: While any employee can learn job crafting skills, conscientious personalities especially thrive when crafting purposefully for career progress (Petrou et al., 2017; Tims et al., 2013). Coaching employees—particularly those high on conscientiousness—on strategic crafting approaches focused on developing abilities or gaining new challenges can optimize career fulfillment and work thriving.
Support Neurotic Employees Differently: Neurotic individuals may require alternative types of support to craft work in beneficial ways due to their proneness towards negativity (Tims et al., 2013; Petrou et al., 2017). Tailoring coaching towards crafting social connections or aspects within close control could ease crafting for neurotic employees by addressing tendencies interfering with proactive shaping of responsibilities independently.
Provide Resources and Training: To enable job crafting company-wide, organizations should offer training on methods like crafting tasks, relationships, cognitive strategies (Wrzesniewski & Dutton, 2001) and crafting circle discussions brainstorming new possibilities (Petrou & Bakker, 2016). Supplying challenging projects, flexible schedules, and opportunities for learning keeps a variety of resources available for employees to craft.
Foster Supervisor Support: Since crafting involves changing duties or relationships, supervisors play a key role by permitting flexibility, exchanging feedback, and empowering bottom-up adjustments (Tims & Bakker, 2010). Promoting a culture where supervisors actively enable and encourage employee initiatives to shape their own work reinforces job crafting.
Measurement and Evaluation: Regular assessment of job crafting behaviors, work engagement, and career satisfaction across demographic factors (like personality) helps pinpoint which employees may require customized support. Continuous evaluation also ensures initiatives are cultivating a motivated, productive workforce finding purpose through crafting meaningful work experiences over time.
Conclusion
This brief reviewed compelling evidence that job crafting associates with positive outcomes like engagement and career fulfillment. Personality characteristics enhance these relationships for some yet undermine benefits for others. Practical recommendations focus on selecting proactive individuals most inclined naturally towards crafting, tailored coaching for conscientious and neurotic personalities, and cultivating an organizational context empowering crafting across roles. Considering individual differences equips companies to maximize the engagement and satisfaction gains attainable through job crafting initiatives strategically applied. Overall, actively shaping one's job duties and connections serves as a promising leverage point for personalized career management benefiting both employees and their organizations.
References
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Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Impact of Job Crafting and Employee Personality on Work Engagement and Perceived Career Satisfaction. Human Capital Leadership Review, 12(1). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.12.1.4
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