An investigation into the efficacy of job crafting as a strategy to improve personality-job fit and employee outcomes.

Abstract

In the evolving domains of organizational psychology and human resource management (HRM), the concept of job crafting has gained increasing attention for its potential to enhance personality-job fit. As workplaces become more dynamic, understanding how individuals align themselves with their roles—and how they proactively shape their work environments—has become crucial. Personality-job fit refers to the congruence between an individual’s skills, values, personality traits, and a job’s requirements. When this fit is high, employees experience greater job satisfaction, engagement, performance, and retention, benefiting both the individual and the organization. However, traditional notions of fit based solely on competencies are now insufficient, especially given the diverse, multi-generational, and value-driven workforce of today. Job crafting, a more recent concept, refers to employees’ proactive modifications to their job tasks, relationships, and cognitive framing of work to better suit their strengths, preferences, and values. This self-initiated behaviour fosters greater autonomy, competence, and relatedness, leading to improved psychological outcomes and a stronger sense of ownership and purpose at work. This research investigates the complex interplay between personality-job fit and job crafting across various industries. It examines whether job crafting behaviours can enhance perceived fit beyond traditional role definitions and whether this dynamic relationship varies across different organizational contexts. Using a quantitative research design, this study explores several core questions: How does job crafting influence employee job satisfaction? Can job crafting improve the perception of personality-job fit across different roles or industries? What moderating variables (e.g., autonomy, organizational culture, personality traits) influence the relationship between job crafting and personality-job fit? The study aims to provide actionable insights for HR managers and organizational leaders seeking to foster adaptable, engaged, and high-performing workforces by encouraging job crafting as a tool to personalize and humanize the modern workplace.