Abstract
Meta‐analyses on job crafting reveal that while approach‐oriented job crafting (e.g., increasing job resources or challenging job demands) relates positively to employee performance, avoidance‐oriented job crafting (e.g., decreasing hindering job demands) has either non‐significant or negative implications for employee functioning. However, the joint effects of approach and avoidance job crafting remain an underdeveloped area of research. We administered a three‐week diary survey among 87 employees to test interaction effects of approach and avoidance job crafting on employee (other‐referenced and past‐referenced) work performance and employability. Results revealed that decreasing hindering job demands related positively to other‐referenced performance when increasing social job resources was higher than employees’ average, and to past‐referenced performance when increasing structural job resources was higher than employees’ average. Also, decreasing hindering job demands related negatively with employability only at lower levels of increasing challenging job demands, while the relationship was non‐significant at higher levels of increasing challenging demands. These results indicate that considering job crafting strategies in tandem adds to our understanding of their role for employee functioning.
Highlights
Recent meta-analyses systematized the consequences of job crafting for employees and organizations (Lichtenthaler & Fischbach, 2019; Rudolph et al, 2017)
Based on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory (Hobfoll & Shirom, 2000), we argue that avoidance-oriented job crafting is unfavorable for work performance (Lichtenthaler & Fischbach, 2019) and employability because attempts to decrease demands may cost energetic, cognitive and emotional resources
Based on the functions of different crafting strategies (Lichtenthaler & Fischbach, 2019; Rudolph et al, 2017) and the assumptions of COR theory (Hobfoll & Shirom, 2000), we hypothesized that avoidance-oriented job crafting will relate negatively to work performance and employability when approach-oriented job crafting is lower, while this negative effect will be buffered when approach-oriented job crafting is higher
Summary
Recent meta-analyses systematized the consequences of job crafting for employees and organizations (Lichtenthaler & Fischbach, 2019; Rudolph et al, 2017). Different strategies may refill different types of resources, they are expected to buffer the unfavorable impact of avoidance-oriented strategies through the same mechanism This is because both job (Xanthopoulou et al, 2007) and personal (Xanthopoulou et al, 2013) resources have been found to mitigate demanding situations at work in the same way. When efforts to reduce demands are combined with higher (vs lower) efforts to gain job resources (that are likely to enrich the work environment) or challenges (that are likely to enhance feelings of meaningfulness), the unfavorable effects of avoidance job crafting (i.e. decreasing demands) will be mitigated because lost resources are compensated by approach crafting attempts. Hypothesis 1: The negative relationships between avoidance-oriented job crafting, on the one hand, and weekly other-referenced work performance (1a), pastreferenced work performance (1b), and employability orientation (1c), on the other hand, will be weaker when approach-oriented job crafting is higher (vs. lower)
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