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Interactions of Approach and Avoidance Job Crafting and Work Engagement: A Comparison between Employees Affected and Not Affected by Organizational Changes

Author

Listed:
  • Piia Seppälä

    (Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Workability and Work Careers, Arinatie 3, FI-00370 Helsinki, Finland)

  • Lotta Harju

    (EMLYON Business School, 23 Avenue Guy de Collongue, 69134 Ecully, France)

  • Jari J. Hakanen

    (Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Workability and Work Careers, Arinatie 3, FI-00370 Helsinki, Finland)

Abstract

Job crafting describes proactive employee behaviors to improve the design of their work and working conditions, and to adapt their job to better suit their abilities and needs. During organizational changes, employees may use job crafting to adjust to the changes in their work and protect their well-being and motivation, i.e., work engagement. However, research shows that although the effects of job crafting strategies that expand the design of work (approach job crafting) have been positive on work engagement, the effects of job crafting strategies that diminish the scope of work (avoidance job crafting) have often been negative. This study investigated the effects of the interactions between different job crafting strategies on work engagement, an aspect that has not thus far been studied. Specifically, we hypothesized that avoidance job crafting is not harmful for work engagement when it is conducted in combination with approach job crafting, particularly during times of organizational change. A two-wave, 18-month follow-up study was conducted among public sector workers who either experienced ( n = 479) or did not experience ( n = 412) changes in their work. Latent moderated structural equation modeling revealed that avoidance job crafting did not reduce work engagement when combined with approach job crafting behaviors. Moreover, job crafting best benefited work engagement when it was combined with these opposing strategies. However, job crafting was beneficial for work engagement only among employees who were affected by organizational changes, that is, among employees whose job design had changed. Practically, organizations implementing changes could encourage proactive job redesign approaches among their employees—particularly both approach and avoidance types of job crafting strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Piia Seppälä & Lotta Harju & Jari J. Hakanen, 2020. "Interactions of Approach and Avoidance Job Crafting and Work Engagement: A Comparison between Employees Affected and Not Affected by Organizational Changes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-20, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:23:p:9084-:d:457289
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lotta Harju & Jari J. Hakanen & Wilmar B. Schaufeli, 2016. "Can job crafting reduce job boredom and increase work engagement? : A three-year cross-lagged panel study," Post-Print hal-02312426, HAL.
    2. Jean-Pierre Neveu & Stevan E. Hobfoll & Jonathon Halbesleben & M Westman, 2018. "Conservation of resources in the organizational context : the reality of resources and their consequences," Post-Print hal-02472360, HAL.
    3. Oldham, Greg R. & Fried, Yitzhak, 2016. "Job design research and theory: Past, present and future," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 20-35.
    4. Andreas Klein & Helfried Moosbrugger, 2000. "Maximum likelihood estimation of latent interaction effects with the LMS method," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 65(4), pages 457-474, December.
    5. Jari J. Hakanen & Annina Ropponen & Hans De Witte & Wilmar B. Schaufeli, 2019. "Testing Demands and Resources as Determinants of Vitality among Different Employment Contract Groups. A Study in 30 European Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-17, December.
    6. Piia Seppälä & Saija Mauno & Taru Feldt & Jari Hakanen & Ulla Kinnunen & Asko Tolvanen & Wilmar Schaufeli, 2009. "The Construct Validity of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale: Multisample and Longitudinal Evidence," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 459-481, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Weiwei Shang, 2022. "The Effects of Job Crafting on Job Performance among Ideological and Political Education Teachers: The Mediating Role of Work Meaning and Work Engagement," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-12, July.

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