Job Crafting @Work

I still remember reading the “choose your own adventure book” Deadwood City as a kid.  If you agree to the duel with the aggressive bandit, turn to page 37 – if you prefer to walk away turn to page 42.  Many of us born in the 1900’s enjoyed the thrill of actively participating in the story as it unfolded versus passively reading about someone else’s adventure.  The concept of job crafting illustrates this principle at work.  When we give people control and choice at work, their experience (and performance) can be vastly different. 

In 2001, researchers Amy Wrzesniewski and Jane Dutton proposed that employees can use job crafting to redefine and reframe their work in ways that can have a positive impact on job satisfaction and motivation.  At its core, job crafting is the practice of employees redefining and reimagining their roles. This process involves altering tasks, relationships, and perceptions to better suit personal passions and strengths. Whether it's taking on projects that align with aptitudes, reframing how certain duties are carried out, or forging new workplace connections, job crafting allows for a more personalized approach to the world of work. 

I love this example from a Harvard Business Review article:

Candice Walker is a housekeeper at a university hospital. Her primary interest has always been the patients the organization serves and their families. From the time she started her job, she saw her work as much more than her cleaning responsibilities. Instead, she cognitively reframed her work as a form of healing, playing a key role “in the house of hope.”  Defining her role as healer meant she paid additional attention to the tasks that might help people recover and leave the hospital more quickly. This meant dedicating extra care to cleaning bathroom features during the cold season so her patients weren’t endangered. It also meant anticipating and providing materials that might be in short supply so that the patient could feel “things were in control” and that they were moving toward a faster release to home. She also formed relationships with patients and their families, getting to know them as people, not just temporary patients.

Candice used her emotional intelligence to make gentle inquiries that showed care and interest without overstepping boundaries. She used similar skills to discern who might need additional attention and conversation on a particular day or night because they were experiencing pain, fear, or loneliness. She would then alter which patients she spent time with so that her work could make a bigger difference in their lives. By cognitively crafting her job in these ways, Candice reported finding a greater sense of meaning in her job.

While these researchers originally proposed this idea in the early 2000’s, the concept is more relevant today than ever.  Think about it… new technologies (Gen AI), economic evolution (the move to service-based economies) and contemporary social norms (fractional / flexible work) are all conspiring to completely revolutionize how work is done.  So, if virtually all work is changing, why not give people the opportunity to redesign it for themselves? 

The ability for individuals to shape their own role can lead to deeper job satisfaction, engagement, and even innovation. Job crafting represents an optimistic shift in the world of work – one where employees are not passive recipients of their positions but active participants in shaping their daily experience. Whether you're an individual looking to bring more meaning to your day-to-day tasks or a leader looking to boost engagement and retention, job crafting offers a creative way forward. By embracing this approach, we can foster work environments that are not only more productive but also more fulfilling for everyone involved.