Abstract
The majority of job redesign initiatives follow a ‘top-down’ approach, in which management optimizes job demands and resources to obtain successful organizational outcomes. However, these approaches are not always effective. Little is known about the effectiveness of interventions, where employees proactively optimize their work environment in order to improve their well-being, motivation, and performance. One such job redesign strategy is job crafting. Job crafting is proactive behaviour that enables individuals to fit the job characteristics to their needs and preferences by seeking resources, seeking challenges and reducing demands. The first aim of this chapter is to describe the design of the job crafting intervention, which integrates a two-day crafting workshop intervention, followed by 3 or 4 weekly self-set crafting assignments and a reflection session. The second aim of this chapter is to present theoretical explanations regarding how the job crafting intervention leads to desired changes for both employees and organisations. We base our argumentation on social cognitive theory, experiential learning theory and situated experiential learning narratives. The final aim is to present an overview of the existing evidence regarding the effectiveness of the intervention. It is concluded that the job crafting intervention is a promising tool to help organisations to support and maintain employee well-being and (to a somewhat lesser extent) performance, even during times of organizational change. The chapter ends with several suggestions for future research and practice.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Abildgaard, J. S., Saksvik, P. Ø., & Nielsen, K. (2016). How to measure the intervention process? An assessment of qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection in the process evaluation of organizational interventions. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1380.
Arneson, H., & Ekberg, K. (2005). Evaluation of empowerment processes in a workplace health promotion intervention based on learning in Sweden. Health Promotion International, 20(4), 351–359.
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands-resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328.
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands–resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 273.
Balogun, J., & Hope Hailey, V. (2004). Exploring strategic change (2nd ed.). London: Prentice Hall.
Bandura, A. (1989). Human agency in social cognitive theory. American Psychologist, 44(9), 1175.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.
Bandura, A., Adams, N. E., & Beyer, J. (1977). Cognitive processes mediating behavioral change. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35(3), 125.
Benner, P. (1984). From novice to expert. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley.
Benner, P. E., Benner, P., Hooper-Kyriakidis, P. L., Kyriakidis, P. L. H., & Stannard, D. (2011). Clinical wisdom and interventions in acute and critical care: A thinking-in-action approach. Springer.
Berg, J. M., Dutton, J. E., Wrzesniewski, A., & Baker, W. E. (2008). Job crafting exercise (pp. 1–8). Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Theory-to-Practice Briefing. Retrieved December 14, 2018 from http://positiveorgs.bus.umich.edu.proxy.library.uu.nl/wp-content/uploads/Job-Crafting-Exercise-Teaching-Note-Aug-101.pdf.
Briner, R. B., & Reynolds, S. (1999). The costs, benefits, and limitations of organizational level stress interventions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20(5), 647–664.
Caldwell, S. D., Herold, D. M., & Fedor, D. B. (2004). Toward an understanding of the relationships among organizational change, individual differences, and changes in person-environment fit: A cross-level study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 868.
Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Nakamura, J. (1989). The dynamics of intrinsic motivation: A study of adolescents. Research on Motivation in Education, 3, 45–71.
Daniels, K., Gedikli, C., Watson, D., Semkina, A., & Vaughn, O. (2017). Job design, employment practices and well-being: A systematic review of intervention studies. Ergonomics, 60(9), 1177–1196.
Demerouti, E. (2014). Design your own job through job crafting. European Psychologist, 19, 237–247.
Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands-resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499.
Demerouti, E., & Peeters, M. C. (2018). Transmission of reduction-oriented crafting among colleagues: A diary study on the moderating role of working conditions. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 91(2), 209–234.
Demerouti, E., Van den Heuvel, M., Xanthopoulou, D., Dubbelt, L., & Gordon, H. J. (2017). Job resources as contributors to wellbeing. In C. L. Cooper & M. P. Leiter (Eds.), The Routledge companion to wellbeing at work (pp. 269–283). New York: Routledge.
Demerouti, E., Van Eeuwijk, E., Snelder, M., & Wild, U. (2011). Assessing the effects of a “personal effectiveness” training on psychological capital, assertiveness and self-awareness using self-other agreement. Career Development International, 16(1), 60–81.
Demerouti, E., Xanthopoulou, D., Petrou, P., & Karagkounis, C. (2017). Does job crafting assist dealing with organizational changes due to austerity measures? Two studies among Greek employees. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 26(4), 574–589.
Dollard, M. F., Le Blanc, P. M., & Cotton, S. J. (2008). Participatory action research as work stress intervention. In K. Näswall, J. Hellgren, & M. Sverke (Eds.), The individual in the changing working life. Cambridge New York: Cambridge University Press.
Doran, G. T. (1981). There’sa SMART way to write management’s goals and objectives. Management review, 70(11), 35–36.
Dubbelt, L., Demerouti, E., & Rispens, S. (in press). The value of job crafting for work engagement, task performance, and career satisfaction: Longitudinal and quasi-experimental evidence. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology.
Fjeldsoe, B. S., Marshall, A. L., & Miller, Y. D. (2009). Behavior change interventions delivered by mobile telephone short-message service. American journal of preventive medicine, 36(2), 165–173.
Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119.
Gordon, H. J., Demerouti, E., Le Blanc, P. M., Bakker, A. B., Bipp, T., & Verhagen, M. A. (2018). Individual job redesign: Job crafting interventions in healthcare. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 104, 98–114.
Grant, A. M., & Parker, S. K. (2009). 7 redesigning work design theories: The rise of relational and proactive perspectives. The Academy of Management Annals, 3(1), 317–375.
Hobfoll, S. E. (2001). The influence of culture, community, and the nested-self in the stress process: Advancing conservation of resources theory. Applied Psychology, 50(3), 337–421.
Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Hulshof, I. L., Demerouti, E., & Le Blanc, P. M. (2019). Providing services in times of change: A job crafting intervention to uphold employee well-being and performance. Submitted for publication.
Karanika-Murray, M., Biron, C., & Cooper, C. L. (2012). Distilling the principles of successful organizational intervention implementation. In C. Biron, M. Karanika-Murray, & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Improving organizational interventions for stress and wellbeing: Addressing process and context (pp. 353–361). London: Routledge.
Kolb, D. A., Boyatzis, R. E., & Mainemelis, C. (2001). Experiential learning theory: Previous research and new directions. In: Perspectives on thinking, learning, and cognitive styles (Educational Psychology Series).
Kompier, M. A. J., & Cooper, C. L. (Eds.). (1999). Preventing stress, improving productivity: European case studies in the workplace. London: Routledge.
Kooij, D. T., van Woerkom, M., Wilkenloh, J., Dorenbosch, L., & Denissen, J. J. (2017). Job crafting towards strengths and interests: The effects of a job crafting intervention on person–job fit and the role of age. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(6), 971–981.
Lu, C. Q., Wang, H. J., Lu, J. J., Du, D. Y., & Bakker, A. B. (2014). Does work engagement increase person–job fit? The role of job crafting and job insecurity. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 84(2), 142–152.
Lyons, P. (2008). The crafting of jobs and individual differences. Journal of Business and Psychology, 23(1–2), 25–36.
Luthans, F., Avey, J. B., Avolio, B. J., & Peterson, S. J. (2010). The development and resulting performance impact of positive psychological capital. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 21(1), 41–67.
Marx, R. D. (1982). Relapse prevention for managerial training: A model for maintenance of behavioural change. Academy of Management Review, 7, 433–441.
Marx, R. D. (1986). Improving management development through relapse preventions strategies. Journal of Management Development, 5(2), 27–40.
Meyers, M. C., van Woerkom, M., & Bakker, A. B. (2013). The added value of the positive: A literature review of positive psychology interventions in organizations. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 22(5), 618–632.
Nielsen, K. (2013). How can we make organizational interventions work? Employees and line managers as actively crafting interventions. Human Relations, 66(8), 1029–1050.
Nielsen, K., Randall, R., Brenner, S. O., & Albertsen, K. (2009). Developing a framework for the “why” in change outcomes: The importance of employees’ appraisal of changes. In Prerequisites for healthy organizational change (pp. 76–86).
Nielsen, K., Randall, R., Holten, A. L., & Rial-Gonzales, E. (2010). Conducting organizational-level occupational health interventions: What works? Work & Stress, 22, 16–32.
Oldham, G. R., & Hackman, J. R. (2010). Not what it was and not what it will be: The future of job design research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31(2–3), 463–479.
Peeters, M. C. W., Van den Heuvel, M., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Sleutelen aan je werk: Effecten van een job crafting interventie voor rijksambtenaren. [Crafting your job: Effects of a job crafting intervention for civil servants]. Tijdschrift voor HRM, 8, 1–19.
Petrou, P., Demerouti, E., Peeters, M. C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Hetland, J. (2012). Crafting a job on a daily basis: Contextual correlates and the link to work engagement. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33(8), 1120–1141.
Rahyuda, A., Syed, J., & Soltani, E. (2014). The role of relapse prevention and goal setting in training transfer enhancement. Human Resource Development Review, 13(4), 413–436.
Schaufeli, W. B., Salanova, M., González-Romá, V., & Bakker, A. B. (2002). The measurement of engagement and burnout: A two sample confirmatory factor analytic approach. Journal of Happiness studies, 3(1), 71–92.
Seligman, M. E., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410.
Semmer, N. K. (2006). Job stress interventions and the organization of work. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 515–527.
Sumsion, J., & Fleet, A. (1996). Reflection: Can we assess it? Should we assess it? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 21(2), 121–130.
Tims, M., & Bakker, A. B. (2010). Job crafting: Towards a new model of individual job redesign. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 36(2), 1–9.
Tims, M., Bakker, A. B., & Derks, D. (2012). Development and validation of the job crafting scale. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(1), 173–186.
Van den Heuvel, M., Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2013). Adapting to change: The value of change information and meaning-making. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 83, 11–21.
Van den Heuvel, M., Demerouti, E., & Peeters, M. C. W. (2012). Succesvol job craften door middel van een groepstraining. In J. De Jonge, M. C. W. Peeters, S. Sjollema, & H. De Zeeuw (Eds.), Scherp in werk (pp. 27–49). Koninklijke Van Gorcum B.V: Assen.
Van den Heuvel, M., Demerouti, E., & Peeters, M. C. W. (2015). The job crafting intervention: Effects on job resources, self-efficacy, and affective well-being. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 88(3), 511–532.
Van Wingerden, J., Bakker, A. B., & Derks, D. (2016). A test of a job demands-resources intervention. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 31(3), 686–701.
Van Wingerden, J., Bakker, A. B., & Derks, D. (2017). Fostering employee well-being via a job crafting intervention. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 100, 164–174.
Wang, H. H. (2017). Leadership, job crafting and work outcomes: Can leaders cultivate well-performing job crafters? (Doctoral dissertation, Eindhoven University of Technology).
Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2001). Crafting a job: Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 179–201.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Demerouti, E., Peeters, M.C.W., van den Heuvel, M. (2019). Job Crafting Interventions: Do They Work and Why?. In: Van Zyl, L., Rothmann Sr., S. (eds) Positive Psychological Intervention Design and Protocols for Multi-Cultural Contexts. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20020-6_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20020-6_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-20019-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-20020-6
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)