Techniques of job crafting: an exploratory study on management consultants

Abstract

The job crafting perspective considers the ways in which employees proactively alter their tasks, relationships and perceptions at work in order to achieve a personalized fit to their work environment. Studies confirm that job crafting results in various positive work outcomes, however, less is known about what lies within or as to how individuals make about these changes. This study focuses on exploring the techniques of job crafting, along with the factors that drive them and the approach adopted in crafting these techniques. Based on content analysis of 105 daily diary entries and 21 interviews of management consultants, we identify different techniques within each type of job crafting based on the differential focus at the structural, social and personal levels. Findings also reveal that employees utilize more task crafting for adjusting routine tasks, while they engage in more relational crafting for adjusting critical tasks, thus offering implications for theory and practice.