A job never remains the same. We constantly alter the tasks and activities we do as well as change the people with whom we interact with on a daily basis. Amy Wrzesniewski and Jane Dutton, Professors of Management call this 'crafting a job' and define it as 'the physical and cognitive changes individuals make in the task or relational boundaries of their work'.
Take our office cleaner for example. Over the past 9 years that he has cleaned our offices he has come to know us well and vice versa. Without fail he will take the time to have a chat and our relationship has moved from contractual to friendship.
He is a superb example of job crafting. The 'relational boundaries' of his job has changed as he spends more time in our offices than on other floors so that he can have a yarn with whoever is in the office. His tasks have also changed as he comes to our floor as close as possible to 5pm to say hello to staff. He'll also go over and above the call of duty to keep our offices clean. He takes coffee spills personally. He'll dry-clean parts of our carpet without charging. And don't get him started on fingerprints on our glass door.
As a result of this job crafting, his identity and the meaning of his work has changed. For him, it's not just about emptying the bins and vacuuming the carpet each day. He sees himself as an integral part of our business and takes pride in the cleanliness of our office. By altering who he interacts with and subtly changing the tasks and activities undertaken, he has crafted work that is more meaningful and fulfiling.
Job crafting exists whether we are conscious of it or not. It may occur more visibly in some workplaces than others depending on whether employees perceive that there is opportunity to job craft as well as individuals' perceptions toward their work.
Job crafting is neither good nor bad. If job crafting results in work patterns that are aligned with organisational objectives then there may be a benefit to the organisation.
Ultimately, we all strive to increase the satisfaction we derive from work. One way in which we do this is by actively crafting our jobs through task changes and altering our relationships at work. We spend such a significant amount of our life at work, why not enjoy it?
Further Reading
Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. 2001. Crafting a Job: Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. Academy of Management Review, 26(2): 179.
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