Abstract
Purpose: This paper contributes to the job-crafting theory of Wrzesniewski and Dutton (The Academy of Management Review 26(2):179–201, 2001) by exploring the effects of age on job-crafting behaviors (i.e., task crafting, relational crafting, and cognitive crafting) and on job-crafting motivations (i.e., the need for personal control, the desire to create and sustain a positive self-image, and the need for human connection).
Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 younger and 15 older employees (n = 31) at a socially responsible non-profit organization in the Netherlands. The qualitative data were analyzed in two major steps: (1) identifying job-crafting motivations and behaviors in older and younger employees and (2) identifying and comparing the differences in the job-crafting motivations and behaviors between older employees and younger employees.
Findings: We found that both older and younger employees are likely to engage in job-crafting behavior to assert control over their jobs and to create a positive self-image. However, younger employees may have two different motivations (personal control and positive self-image) for engaging in such job-crafting behavior. Whereas both younger and older employees engage the most in task crafting, younger employees are more likely to engage in all three types of job-crafting behavior; additionally, we found that the three different forms of job-crafting behavior of younger employees occur in conjunction with one another.
Research limitations/implications: This study contributes to the original job-crafting model of Wrzesniewski and Dutton (The Academy of Management Review 26(2):179–201, 2001) by including the effect of age in the model, and by demonstrating the importance of studying the three original main job-crafting motivations and behaviors separately from one another.
Practical implications: This paper addresses the multigenerational challenges of the contemporary workforce. It demonstrates that managers may play a pivotal role in stimulating older employees to engage in job-crafting behaviors by informing them about job-crafting strategies and providing them with more opportunities to engage in job crafting.
Originality/value: This paper is original in that it re-examines, refines, and enriches the job-crafting model of Wrzesniewski and Dutton (The Academy of Management Review 26(2):179–201, 2001), which is receiving a growing interest among researchers and business practitioners.
Keywords
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Armstrong-Stassen, M., & Lee, S. H. (2009). The effect of relational age on older Canadian employees’ perceptions of human resource practices and sense of worth to their organization. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 20(8), 1753–1769.
Avery, D. R., McKay, P. F., & Wilson, D. C. (2007). Engaging the aging workforce: The relationship between perceived age similarity, satisfaction with coworkers, and employee engagement. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(6), 1542–1556.
Bakker, A. B. (2010). Engagement and “job crafting”: Engaged employees create their own great place to work. In S. L. Albrecht (Ed.), Handbook of employee engagement: Perspectives, issues, research and practice (pp. 229–244). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Baltes, P. B., & Smith, J. (2003). New frontiers in the future of aging: From successful aging of the young old to the dilemmas of the fourth age. Gerontology, 49, 123–135.
Baumeister, R. F. (1982). A self-presentational view of social phenomena. Psychological Bulletin, 91, 3–26.
Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497–529.
Berg, J. M., Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2010). Perceiving and responding to challenges in job crafting at different ranks: When proactivity requires adaptivity. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31, 1–50.
Berg, J. M., Dutton, J. E., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2008). What is job crafting and why does it matter. Retrieved form the website of Positive Organizational Scholarship on April, 15, 2011.
Carstensen, L. L., Pasupathi, M., Mayr, U., & Nesselroade, J. R. (2000). Emotional experience in everyday life across the adult life span. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 644–655.
Cleveland, J. N., & Shore, L. M. (1992). Self- and supervisory perspectives on age and work attitudes and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77, 469–484.
De Lange, A. H., Taris, T. W., Jansen, P., Kompier, M. A. J., Houtman, I. L. D., & Bongers, P. M. (2009). On the relationships among work characteristics and learning-related behavior: Does age matter? Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31, 1–26.
Edwards, J. R., Cable, D. M., Williamson, I. O., Schurer Lambert, L., & Shipp, A. J. (2006). The phenomenology of fit: Linking the person and environment to the subjective experience of person environment fit. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 802–827.
Erez, M., & Earley, C. (1993). Culture, self-identity and work. New York: Oxford University Press.
Gruman, J. A., & Saks, A. M. (2011). Performance management and employee engagement. Human Resource Management Review, 21, 123–136.
Finkelstein, L., Burke, M., & Raju, N. (1995). Age discrimination in simulated employment contexts: An integrative analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 80, 652–663.
Freund, A. M. (2006). Age-differential motivational consequences of optimization versus compensation focus in younger and older adults. Psychology and Aging, 21(2), 240–252.
Furunes, T., & Mykletun, R. J. (2005). Age management in Norwegian hospitality businesses. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 5, 116–134.
Garg, A. (1991). Ergonomics and the older worker: An overview. Experimental Aging Research, 17(3), 143–155.
Goldberg, B. (2005). How to become employer of choice for the working retired. In P. T. Beatty & R. M. S. Visser (Eds.), Thriving on an aging workforce: Strategies for organizational and systemic change (pp. 170–178). New York: Krieger Publishing Company.
Hsieh, H. F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15(9), 1277.
Ilmarinen, J. (2001). Aging workers. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 58, 546–552.
Kanfer, R., & Ackerman, P. L. (2004). Aging, adult development, and work motivation. The Academy of Management Review, 29(3), 440–458.
Kooij, D., de Lange, A., Jansen, P., & Dikkers, J. (2009). Older workers’ motivation to continue to work: Five meanings of age. A conceptual review. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23(4), 364–394.
Lang, F. R., & Carstensen, L. (2002). Time counts: Future time perspective, goals and social relationships. Psychology and Aging, 17, 125–139.
Lawrence, B. (1990). At the crossroads: A multiple-level explanation of individual attainment. Organization Science, 1, 65–85.
Leana, C., Appelbaum, E., & Shevchuk, I. (2009). Work process and quality of care in early childhood education: The role of job crafting. Academy of Management, 52, 1–56.
Lyons, P. (2008). The crafting of jobs and individual differences. Journal of Business and Psychology, 23, 25–36.
McAdams, D. P., St. Aubin, E. D., & Logan, R. L. (1993). Generativity among young, midlife, and older adults. Psychology and Aging, 8(2), 221–230.
Maurer, T. J. (2001). Career—relevant learning and development, worker age, and beliefs about self-efficacy for development. Journal of Management, 27, 123–140.
Nahapiet, J., & Ghoshal, S. (1998). Social capital, intellectual capital, and the organizational advantage. Academy of Management Review, 23, 242–266.
Rogers, J. K. (1995). Just a temp: Experience and structure of alienation in temporary employment. Work and Occupations, 22, 137–166.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2007). Research methods for business students (5th ed.). Harlow: Prentice Hall.
Steele, C. M. (1988). The psychology of self-affirmation: Sustaining the integrity of the self. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Social psychological studies of the self: Perspectives and programs, Vol. 21, pp. 261–302). San Diego: Academic.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Tims, M., Bakker, A. B., & Derks, D. (2013). The impact of job crafting on job demands, job resources and well-being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 18(2), 230–240.
Tims, M., Bakker, A. B., Derks, D., & van Rhenen, W. (2013). Job crafting at the team and individual level: Implications for work engagement and performance. Group and Organization Management, 38, 427–454.
Williams, H. M., Parker, S. K., & Turner, N. (2007). Perceived dissimilarity and perspective taking within work teams. Group Organization Management, 32, 569–597.
Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2001). Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. The Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 179–201.
Wrzesniewski, A., Dutton, J. E., & Debebe, G. (2003). Interpersonal sensemaking and the meaning of work. Research in Organizational Behavior, 25, 93–125.
Yeatts, D. E., & Hyten, C. (1998). High-performing self-managed work teams: A comparison of theory to practice. Newbury, CA: Sage.
Yeatts, D. E., Folts, W. E., & Knapp, J. (2000). Older workers’ adaptation to a changing workplace: Employment issues for the 21st century. Educational Gerontology, 26, 565–582.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this paper
Cite this paper
Baroudi, S.E., Khapova, S.N. (2017). The Effects of Age on Job Crafting: Exploring the Motivations and Behavior of Younger and Older Employees in Job Crafting. In: Benlamri, R., Sparer, M. (eds) Leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship as Driving Forces of the Global Economy. Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43434-6_42
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43434-6_42
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-43433-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-43434-6
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)