Job Crafting - Amy Wrzesniewski on creating meaning in your own work

Summary

Amy Wrzesniewski discusses the concept of job crafting, where employees redesign their roles to enhance engagement and satisfaction. Through a study of hospital cleaning staff, she illustrates how some workers find deep meaning in their tasks, going beyond job descriptions to connect with patients and contribute in unique ways. Job crafting includes task, relational, and cognitive changes, all linked to greater job satisfaction and performance. Wrzesniewski suggests organizations can encourage job crafting by boosting autonomy, fostering developmental plans, aligning strategic goals, and facilitating collaboration. The approach has proven to improve individual well-being and organizational outcomes.

Takeaways

• 😀 Job crafting refers to employees redesigning their own jobs from the bottom up to enhance engagement, satisfaction, and performance.
• 😀 The study on hospital cleaning staff revealed two distinct groups: one that viewed the job as routine and unskilled, and another that found deep meaning and satisfaction in the work.
• 😀 Employees who practice job crafting often go beyond their job descriptions, adding personal touches that improve their sense of purpose and impact.
• 😀 Job crafting can take three forms: task crafting (changing the nature of tasks), relational crafting (changing work relationships), and cognitive crafting (changing how tasks are perceived).
• 😀 The study found that those who engaged in job crafting viewed their roles differently, often seeing themselves as integral parts of patient care and organizational healing.
• 😀 Job crafting leads to increased job satisfaction, commitment, and attachment to the organization, positively influencing both individuals and the organization as a whole.
• 😀 Even in organizations where job crafting is discouraged, employees still tend to engage in it naturally, demonstrating its widespread occurrence.
• 😀 Introducing job crafting intentionally within an organization can lead to positive outcomes such as increased happiness at work, improved performance, and greater mobility within the company.
• 😀 Organizations can foster job crafting by boosting employee autonomy, supporting developmental plans, and communicating strategic goals in ways that invite participation.
• 😀 Job crafting is not just about altering the tasks, but about the sense of ownership and purpose employees feel toward their work, which can improve both individual and organizational outcomes.
• 😀 A creative approach to job crafting includes holding job crafting “swap meets,” where employees can exchange tasks and responsibilities to better align their work with personal preferences and organizational needs.

Q & A

What was the purpose of the study conducted on the University Hospital cleaning crew?

The study aimed to understand the nature of the meaning of work for the cleaning crew, exploring what they enjoyed, what they found lacking, and how they experienced their work.

What significant finding emerged from the study about the cleaning crew's experience of their work?

The study revealed that some cleaners found their work deeply meaningful and enjoyed it, perceiving it as highly skilled, while others saw it as less satisfying and low-skilled, despite having similar tasks and working conditions.

What did the second group of cleaners describe about their work that was different from the first group?

The second group of cleaners described going beyond the basic tasks, such as comforting patients, helping visitors, and engaging with patients in comas by changing their room pictures to potentially spark recovery.

What is 'job crafting' as defined in the study?

Job crafting is the process by which employees redesign their own jobs from the bottom up to foster engagement, satisfaction, resilience, and thriving, taking the form of task crafting, relational crafting, and cognitive crafting.

What are the three forms of job crafting outlined in the study?

The three forms of job crafting are: task crafting (changing the number, type, or nature of tasks), relational crafting (changing relationships and interactions with others), and cognitive crafting (changing how individuals perceive the meaning of their work).

How did the second group of cleaners view their roles within the hospital?

The second group of cleaners viewed their roles in a more meaningful way, describing themselves as 'ambassadors for the hospital' or even 'healers,' emphasizing their contribution to patient care and hospital well-being beyond just cleaning.

What impact does job crafting have on individuals according to the research?

Job crafting is associated with increased job satisfaction, commitment, attachment to the organization, improved happiness at work, better job performance, and higher mobility within the organization.

What positive outcomes does job crafting create for organizations?

Job crafting can lead to improved employee satisfaction, greater commitment, enhanced performance, and better alignment with organizational goals, which can positively impact the overall success and efficiency of the organization.

What are some strategies organizations can implement to promote job crafting?

Organizations can promote job crafting by boosting autonomy, encouraging developmental planning during performance evaluations, communicating strategic goals in a way that invites employee participation, and holding job crafting swap meets to facilitate creative collaboration.

How does job crafting relate to organizational goals and performance?

Job crafting, when guided by an understanding of organizational goals, can align individual roles with these objectives, as demonstrated by the Xerox example, where middle managers crafted their roles to improve the company's return on assets (ROA) by reworking their supply chain processes.