Cognitive job crafting: an intervening mechanism between intrinsic motivation and affective well-being

Abstract

Purpose Employees often reframe their work roles and ascribe meaning to their jobs, which is called cognitive job crafting (CJC). Although scholars have identified the importance of CJC, there remains a lack of evidence on what motivational characteristics affect initiating such cognitive changes and how these cognitive changes affect one’s well-being. Drawing on job design and self-determination theories, this study aims to investigate how intrinsic motivations affect CJC and, thus, optimize affective well-being (AWB) through cognitive changes. Design/methodology/approach The cross-sectional data were collected using online questionnaires from 327 white-collar employees working in various organizations. The validity of the hypothesized model was tested by using structural equation modeling. Hypotheses were tested using Process analysis. Findings The findings showed that intrinsic motivations (i.e. self-determination and meaning) were positively related to CJC, which resulted in increased positive affection and decreased negative affection, reflecting a mediating mechanism. Practical implications The authors suggest that practitioners can enhance employee well-being by implementing policies that value proactive job redesign strategies (e.g. job crafting training). Thus, the practitioners may motivate employees to craft their jobs, which leads employees to engage and perform well. Originality/value The results of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of job crafting initiatives by providing evidence for the role of motivational and cognitive mechanisms that help optimize well-being at work.

Increasing nurses’ occupational well-being: the role of career shocks, job crafting and supervisor autonomy support

“…We then proposed that job crafting is positively related to occupational well-being. Through the job crafting process, individuals can enhance the meaning they attain from their work and in turn optimize their well-being [ 19 ]. There is already abundant evidence to support this relationship.…”

Contextual and Individual Determinants of Sustainable Careers: A Serial Indirect Effect Model through Career Crafting and Person-Career Fit

“…Hence, future research could explore further the obstacles and compromises individuals encounter, offering a more detailed comprehension of the intricacies involved in fostering sustainable career development. Additionally, considering job crafting as a proactive strategy linked to improved individual well-being and productivity indicators [63,64], future research could also investigate the combined effects of crafting initiatives at both job and career levels on the sustainability of individuals' careers [65].…”

The more you connect, the less you connect: An examination of the role of phubbing at home and job crafting in the crossover and spillover effects of work–family spousal support on employee creativity

“…In the current job‐crafting literature, compared with other job‐crafting types, less attention has been paid to the cognitive job crafting (Zhang & Parker, 2019). The extant literature has found that social support, job characteristics and personal resources (e.g., organizational support, job autonomy, self‐determination, job meaningfulness, job insecurity, recovery experience and creative self‐efficacy) are positively related to the cognitive job crafting (Buonocore et al., 2020; Hur & Shin, 2023; Kilic & Kitapci, 2023; Kim et al., 2018). According to the W–HR theory, the contextual resources, such as social support, will lead to the generation of personal resources (Ten Brummelhuis & Bakker, 2012).…”

“…In our study, the employed partner can use the personal resources (e.g., positive affect) generated from the work–family support to cognitively change their view of the job. Moreover, work–family support can help the partner to achieve a balance between work and life and enhance the feeling of meaningfulness at work (Cohen‐Meitar et al., 2009; Munn, 2013), which could allow the partner to have a positive view of their job (Kilic & Kitapci, 2023).…”