Workaholism versus work engagement and job crafting: What is the role of self‐management strategies?

Abstract

Job crafting refers to the proactive actions employees take to redesign their jobs in order to get a better fit with their competencies, expectations, and wishes. So far, little is known about job crafting's underlying mechanisms. In this study, we examine how two different states of affective well‐being (workaholism and work engagement) relate to job crafting 3 months later and how these well‐being states steer different self‐management behaviours, which ultimately lead to job crafting. Structural equation modelling on a heterogeneous sample (N = 287) revealed that work engagement and workaholism both relate to expansive job crafting through different self‐management strategies. Work engagement relates to challenge and resource seeking via self‐goal setting and self‐observation strategies, whereas workaholism associates with challenge and resource seeking only through self‐goal setting. In addition, the results show a strong relationship between workaholism and self‐punishment. Altogether, the findings suggest that self‐management strategies can function as an explanatory mechanism for different job crafting behaviours.

Reorienting job crafting research: A hierarchical structure of job crafting concepts and integrative review

“…Similarly, Moon, Youn, Hur, and Kim () found that employees' spirituality at work, which enables employees to assign meaning to their work experiences, was positively related to approach crafting through increased intrinsic work motivation. For energized to motivation, several empirical studies have found positive relationships between work engagement, an activated positive affect, and approach crafting after 1 month (Tims, Bakker, & Derks, ), 3 months (Lu et al, ; Zeijen, Peeters, & Hakanen, ), 3 years (Harju, Hakanen, & Schaufeli, ), and 4 years (Hakanen, Peeters, & Schaufeli, ). Similar to work engagement, workaholism involves feelings of absorption in one's work and is positively related to approach crafting, although the motivation of workaholism is compulsive rather than intrinsic (Hakanen et al, ; Zeijen et al, ).…”

“…For energized to motivation, several empirical studies have found positive relationships between work engagement, an activated positive affect, and approach crafting after 1 month (Tims, Bakker, & Derks, ), 3 months (Lu et al, ; Zeijen, Peeters, & Hakanen, ), 3 years (Harju, Hakanen, & Schaufeli, ), and 4 years (Hakanen, Peeters, & Schaufeli, ). Similar to work engagement, workaholism involves feelings of absorption in one's work and is positively related to approach crafting, although the motivation of workaholism is compulsive rather than intrinsic (Hakanen et al, ; Zeijen et al, ). Furthermore, drawing on self‐regulation theory, Zeijen et al () found that work engagement is positively related to approach crafting through self‐observation and self‐goal setting, while workaholism only through self‐goal setting.…”

“…Similar to work engagement, workaholism involves feelings of absorption in one's work and is positively related to approach crafting, although the motivation of workaholism is compulsive rather than intrinsic (Hakanen et al, ; Zeijen et al, ). Furthermore, drawing on self‐regulation theory, Zeijen et al () found that work engagement is positively related to approach crafting through self‐observation and self‐goal setting, while workaholism only through self‐goal setting. The absence of self‐observing behavior prevents workaholics from assessing what a healthy and desirable situation requires.…”

Managers as a Missing Entity in Job Crafting Research: Relationships between Store Manager Job Crafting, Job Resources, and Store Performance

“…Zeijen, Peeters, and Hakanen () further classified the first three activities into expansive job crafting and the last one into decreasing job crafting. According to Zeijen et al (), it is reasonable to focus on expansive job crafting when examining the motivational process of job crafting. Indeed, a number of studies have excluded decreasing job crafting and have examined only expansive job crafting (e.g., Akkermans & Tims, ; Harju, Hakanen, & Schaufeli, ; Harju, Schaufeli, & Hakanen, ; Lichtenthaler & Fischbach, ; Vogt, Hakanen, Brauchli, Jenny, & Bauer, ; Zeijen et al, ).…”

“…According to Zeijen et al (), it is reasonable to focus on expansive job crafting when examining the motivational process of job crafting. Indeed, a number of studies have excluded decreasing job crafting and have examined only expansive job crafting (e.g., Akkermans & Tims, ; Harju, Hakanen, & Schaufeli, ; Harju, Schaufeli, & Hakanen, ; Lichtenthaler & Fischbach, ; Vogt, Hakanen, Brauchli, Jenny, & Bauer, ; Zeijen et al, ). Consistent with these studies, Cenciotti et al () operationalised manager job crafting as the extent to which managers increase structural and social job resources and challenging job demands.…”