Job Crafting

Hi there,

I’ve been thinking about Job Crafting a lot lately.?I know, I need to get out more. But, amidst all the noise about the changing?world of work, I can’t help feeling we could all use some space for reflection on how we want to work, and why. And a spot of Job Crafting could raise the questions you need to ask to gain the clarity you’re trying to find.?

So, whether you’re?planning on staying in your current role, moving to a new one or starting a new venture altogether, you can use the principles of Job Crafting to find?success and fulfilment in a future designed by you.

JOB CRAFTING: WHAT IS IT?

Job crafting?is a term used to describe how you can redesign your job to make it more engaging and meaningful to you.

Traditionally, we thought of job design as the responsibility of a manager. Job crafting turns that on its head, handing over this responsibility…to you. And, as fans of Peter Parker would know, on the flip side of great responsibility you’ll find great power.?

OK, so power doesn’t have to mean swinging around in a fetching spandex outfit, stopping bad guys.?What if power for you could simply mean more autonomy to spend your time and energy doing what you love and what you’re good at? And to find that holy grail: meaning in your work.

Since the term was first coined by professors Amy Wrzesniewski?and Jane Dutton in 2001, the evidence has been stacking up:?even small changes in?how?we do our jobs, and in our perception of?why?– can have a huge and lasting impact on our experience of work.

There are three main factors to consider when Job Crafting.?

• The first is all about the task. This involves tweaking the tasks you do and how you do them. Think: taking a work call on a stroll instead of at your desk or finding new and interesting ways to present your updates to the team. (They call this ‘Behavioural crafting’).
• The second is all about the people. This is all about how you like to interact with others (colleagues, customers and clients). Some may enjoy the buzz of connecting over impromptu coffees in the office, others may prefer swapping notes on Slack. (They call this ‘Relational crafting’)
• The last is all about perception.?This involves reframing the job – attaching meaning or significance to it that might not be immediately obvious. Like the study of hospital janitors who reported greater satisfaction when they understood their role as ambassadors for the hospital – playing a meaningful part in patients’ overall care – than when they saw their job as only to clean. For them, this came from the simple act of chatting to patients as they worked. For you, it could be feedback from a customer, time spent helping a colleague or a nudge that reminds you of the part you play in your organisation’s big picture. These small moments are often what makes our days feel worthwhile. (They call this 'Cognitive crafting').

I think of job crafting as a mission to design your job so you are spending as much of your time and energy as possible doing things you are?intrinsically?motivated to do. (Intrinsic motivation is psychologist speak for that drive that comes from within. That magic motivation you get from a task you find fulfilling in and of itself).

If you're interested, this video - on finding intrinsic reward in your day to day - from my Linkedin Learning course might be helpful:

JOB CRAFTING: WHERE TO START

It can take time to identify what parts of your day you could tweak to align with your intrinsic motivation. But that’s OK. Give yourself time to think this through and start with these steps:?

?1.???Get clear on outcomes

First thing's first. Get clear on the outcome you're after. We often get hung up on our daily to-dos. But when you force yourself to think about the outcome of what you’re trying to achieve, you realise that many of the tasks on the list could be done differently (or maybe not at all!).?

?2.???Make sure you have buy-in from your manager and team

The way you want to work might not align perfectly with the way the rest of your team operates. Have as many conversations as possible with your manager and colleagues about the shift you’re trying to make. And be clear with them that you are fully focused on the outcome you’re trying to achieve as an individual – but also as a team.?

?3.???Take time to reflect

Look to a coach or trusted colleague and spend time talking through what you value in life & where your strengths lie. Tuning in to our values helps us make better decisions about how we spend our time and energy. Being aware of our strengths will allow us to gravitate towards using them. So, getting clear on values and strengths will help you to focus on the parts of your job that resonate most for you and are intrinsically rewarding.

Then, ask yourself: If I could be the architect of my own job…

• What would my typical day look like?
• What tasks would I be doing? How would I be doing them?
• Who would I be collaborating with and learning from??
• Who or what would I be impacting in my day-to-day work?
• What can I do to remind myself of the moments of meaning I find??

Once you have taken these steps and reflected on these questions, it’s time to just get going – even with little steps at first. Start noticing the tasks, workplace relationships and meaningful activities that really keep you engaged. Try to focus on these things in your day-to-day. Trial and error is definitely OK (isn’t that exactly what the whole world of work is doing right now?) but do keep in touch with your team to reassure them you’re still on top of the outcomes you’re signed up to.

And, lastly? Remember this: you?deserve?to find ways to tune in to your values and strengths – and, ultimately, to find meaning in your work. So, if you don’t have the support to find it in your current role, maybe the Great Resignation?is?calling.??No matter what route you take, though, you won't regret spending time thinking deeply about how you want to shape your working days.

As individuals, we might feel powerless in the grand scheme of things. But we’ve never had as big an opportunity to change the system as we do right now. If we all craft our jobs to fit our?diverse?human needs, we’ll collectively craft a working world that caters for them.

This newsletter is a part of a series to help you find ways to change your experience of work for the better. Subscribe and you'll find it in your inbox every other week.

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