Job crafting is a way to leverage our strengths.
The concept is to alter our job to better align with strengths, interests, and values.
And resist passively accepting predefined job tasks.
Instead, we alter work in ways that make it more personally meaningful and engaging.
This often leads to greater job satisfaction, motivation, and performance.
Example: A customer service representative might craft their job by developing new ways to handle complex inquiries, building relationships with other departments to streamline problem-solving, and framing their work as an essential part of improving customer retention & repurchase.
The areas that employees can “craft” goes beyond just the tasks.
Relationships can be crafted with individuals or departments.
Structure can be crafted through personalized design of when and where work is done.
Cognitive crafting can reframe how employees perceive their work.
My Perspective
For me, job crafting is foundational to how I approach work.
I want to understand the role and the deliverables and then make it my own.
What are the strengths I bring that weren’t part of the job description?
How could I leverage them to make the position more successful?
My assumption was always that everyone else approached their role in the same way.
This has me wondering if maybe that is not the case.
Or rather, is job crafting something we do without really thinking about it?
Maybe we start to personalize and bring in our talents without intentionally designing the role.
Considering how we leverage strengths in a specific role, could be a helpful technique.
Giving us insight into our personal brand and the special sauce we bring to an organization.
Your Turn
Do you craft your job when you take on a new role?
Is this done intentionally or something that happens organically?
What insights can be drawn if you think about the different ways you have adjusted your current role?