Abstract
In this paper, we introduce digital job crafting as an evolution of the concept of job crafting. An in-depth literature review demonstrated that in the broad research dedicated to job crafting, only limited attention has been dedicated to the effect that digital technology exerts on job crafting practices. We propose using the socio-technical approach to make these impacts explicit and, thus, reframe the concept of job crafting in a new, integrated model. Two case studies are presented to explore the effectiveness of applying the model in different organizational contexts.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Buonocore, F., de Gennaro, D., Russo, M., & Salvatore, D. (2020). Cognitive job crafting: A possible response to increasing job insecurity and declining professional prestige. Human Resource Management Journal, 30(2), 244–259.
Lazazzara, A., Tims, M., & De Gennaro, D. (2020). The process of reinventing a job: A meta-synthesis of qualitative job crafting research. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 116, 103267.
Parker, S. K., & Grote, G. (2020). Automation, algorithms, and beyond: Why work design matters more than ever in a digital world. Applied Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12241
Clemmensen, T. (2021). Human work interaction design: A platform for theory and action. Springer.
Wrzesniewski, A., Berg, J. M., & Dutton, J. E. (2010). Turn the job you have into the job you want. Harvard Business Review, 88(6), 114–117.
de Gennaro, D., Buonocore, F., & Ferrara, M. (2017). Il significato del job crafting nell’organizzazione del lavoro: Inquadramento teorico, tendenze evolutive e prospettive manageriali. Electronic Journal of Management, 2, 1–20.
Tims, M., Bakker, A. B., & Derks, D. (2012). Development and validation of the job crafting scale. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(1), 173–186.
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 & Organization Management, 38(4), 427–454.
Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2001). Crafting a job: Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 179–201.
Bakker, A. B., Tims, M., & Derks, D. (2012). Proactive personality and job performance: The role of job crafting and work engagement. Human Relations, 65(10), 1359–1378.
Williamson, O. E., Wachter, M. L., & Harris, J. E. (1975). Understanding the employment relation: The analysis of idiosyncratic exchange. The Bell Journal of Economics, 6, 250–278.
Schein, E. H. (1971). The individual, the organization, and the career: A conceptual scheme. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 7(4), 401–426.
Van Maanen, J., & Schein, E. H. (1979). Toward a theory of organizational socialization. In B. M. Staw (Ed.), Research in organizational behavior (pp. 209–264). JAI.
Bateman, T. S., & Crant, J. M. (1993). The proactive component of organizational behavior: A measure and correlates. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 14, 103–118.
Bell, N. E., & Staw, B. M. (1989). People as sculptors versus sculpture: the roles of personality and personal control. Handbook of Career Theory, 11, 232.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2002). Self-determination research: Reflections and future directions. In E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan (Eds.), Handbook of self-determination research (pp. 431–441). University of Rochester Press.
Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(4), 331–362.
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2014). Job demands—Resources theory. In P. Y. Chen & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Work and wellbeing: Wellbeing: A complete reference guide (Vol. III, pp. 37–64). Wiley-Blackwell.
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 Journal, 52(6), 1169–1192.
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands-resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328.
Zhang, F., & Parker, S. K. (2019). Reorienting job crafting research: A hierarchical structure of job crafting concepts and integrative review. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40(2), 126–146.
Zhang, F., Wang, B., Qian, J., & Parker, S. K. (2021). Job crafting towards strengths and job crafting towards interests in overqualified employees: Different outcomes and boundary effects. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 42(5), 587–603.
Lichtenthaler, P. W., & Fischbach, A. (2016a). Job crafting and motivation to continue working beyond retirement age. Career Development International, 21, 477–497.
Rudolph, C. W., Katz, I. M., Lavigne, K. N., & Zacher, H. (2017). Job crafting: A meta-analysis of relationships with individual differences, job characteristics, and work outcomes. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 102, 112–138.
Bruning, P. F., & Campion, M. A. (2018). A role–resource approach–avoidance model of job crafting: A multimethod integration and extension of job crafting theory. Academy of Management Journal, 61(2), 499–522.
Vanbelle, E., Van Den Broeck, A., & De Witte, H. (2017). Job crafting: Autonomy and workload as antecedents and the willingness to continue working until retirement age as a positive outcome. Psihologia Resurselor Umane, 15(1), 25–41.
Parker, S. K., Bindl, U. K., & Strauss, K. (2010). Making things happen: A model of proactive motivation. Journal of Management, 36, 827–856.
Deloitte. (2018). The rise of the social enterprise: 2018 global human capital trends. Deloitte Development LLC.
Geissinger, A., Laurell, C., Öberg, C., Sandström, C., & Suseno, Y. (2021). The sharing economy and the transformation of work: Evidence from Foodora. Personnel Review, 51(2), 584–602.
Howcroft, D., & Bergvall-Kåreborn, B. (2019). A typology of crowdwork platforms. Work, Employment and Society, 33(1), 21–38.
Mahato, M., Kumar, N., & Jena, L. K. (2021). Re-thinking gig economy in conventional workforce post-COVID-19: A blended approach for upholding fair balance. Journal of Work-Applied Management, 13(2), 261–276.
Rahman, K. S., & Thelen, K. (2019). The rise of the platform business model and the transformation of twenty-first-century capitalism. Politics & Society, 47(2), 177–204.
Kuhn, K. M., & Galloway, T. L. (2019). Expanding perspectives on gig work and gig workers. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 34(4), 186–191.
Peticca-Harris, A., DeGama, N., & Ravishankar, M. N. (2020). Postcapitalist precarious work and those in the ‘drivers’ seat: Exploring the motivations and lived experiences of Uber drivers in Canada. Organization, 27(1), 36–59.
Stewart, A., & Stanford, J. (2017). Regulating work in the gig economy: What are the options? The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 28(3), 420–437.
Mousa, M., Chaouali, W., & Mahmood, M. (2022). The inclusion of gig employees and their career satisfaction: do individual and collaborative job crafting play a role? Public Organization Review, 23(3), 1055–1068.
Claes, C., & Moens, B. (2022). The JOS-app, a digital job crafting tool: a way to reduce challenges and barriers in the workplace. In EUSE2022, 2022/06/20–2022/06/22, European Union of Supported Employment (EUSE), Oslo.
Jenny G. J., Kerksieck, P., & Bauer, G. (2022). Digital job crafting for teams and individuals—Apps, roadmaps and field experiences. Paper proceedings in van den Brand, W., Nikolova, I., & Caniëls, M. C. (2022, July). Empowering leadership, professional isolation, and emotional exhaustion: a daily diary investigation. In 15th European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology Conference: Supporting knowledge comparison to promote good practice in occupational health psychology (pp. 602–603). European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology.
Kehr, F., Bauer, G., Jenny, G. F., Güntert, S. T., & Kowatsch, T. (2013). Towards a design model for job crafting information systems promoting individual health, productivity and organizational performance.
Bardoel, E. A., & Drago, R. (2016). Does the quality of information technology support affect work–life balance? A study of Australian physicians. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27(21), 2604–2620.
Laenen, J. J. (2020). Continuous and autonomous Job Crafting support in the home-work environment. Extended abstracts, April 25–30, 2020, Honolulu, HI, USA. ACM ISBN 978-1-4503-6819-3/20/04. https://doi.org/10.1145/3334480.
Margherita, E. G., & Braccini, A. M. (2021). Exploring the socio-technical interplay of Industry 4.0: a single case study of an Italian manufacturing organisation. arXiv preprint. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2101.05665.
Salvia, G. (2016). The satisfactory and (possibly) sustainable practice of do-it-yourself: the catalyst role of design. Journal of Design Research, 14(1), 22–41.
Locoro, A., Ravarini, A., Cabitza, F., & Mari, L. (2017). Is making the new knowing? Tangible and intangible knowledge artifacts in DiDIY. In Proceedings of the 25th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS), Guimarães, Portugal, June 5–10, 2017. ISBN 978-989-20-7655-3
Ravarini, A., & Strada, G. (2018). From smart work to Digital Do-It-Yourself: a research framework for digital-enabled jobs. In Network, smart and open (pp. 97–107). Springer.
Cremona, L., & Ravarini, A. (2017). Digital do-it yourself in work and organizations: Personal and environmental characteristics. In ICT and innovation (p. 97).
Grant-Vallone, E. J., & Ensher, E. A. (2017). Re-crafting careers for mid-career faculty: A qualitative study. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 17(5), 10–24.
Sturges, J. (2012). Crafting a balance between work and home. Human Relations, 65(12), 1539–1559. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726712457435
Wong, S. I., Kost, D., & Fieseler, C. (2021). From crafting what you do to building resilience for career commitment in the gig economy. Human Resource Management Journal, 31(4), 918–935.
Gorman, G. E., & Clayton, P. (1997). Qualitative research for the information professional: A practical handbook. Facet.
Prus, I., Nacamulli, R. C., & Lazazzara, A. (2017). Disentangling workplace innovation: A systematic literature review. Personnel Review, 46(7), 1254–1279. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-10-2016-0267
Vallas, S. P., & Kovalainen, A. (Eds.). (2019). Work and labor in the digital age. Emerald.
Warhurst, C., & Dhondt, S. (2020). The challenges and opportunities in the digitalisation of production. In 47th OeNB Economics Conference, The EU’s “northern” enlargement 25 years on: A comparative stocktaking and outlook in cooperation with SUERF, Bank of Finland, Sveriges Riksbank and Norges Bank (p. 51).
Bednar, P. M., & Welch, C. (2019). Socio-technical perspectives on smart working: Creating meaningful and sustainable systems. Information Systems Frontiers, 21, 1–18.
Cuel, R., Ravarini, A., & Varriale, L. (2020). Technology in organisation: Digital transformation and people. Maggioli. ISBN: 9788891646088.
Cuel, R., Ravarini, A., Ruffini, R., & Varriale, L. (2021, September 10–11). Smart working in the Italian Public Administration: A socio-technical analysis. In Workshop dei Docenti e dei Ricercatori di Organizzazione Aziendale 2021: “Organizing for what? Meaning and purpose in human action”, Genova: Ithum srl, 2021. Atti di: WOA 2021, Genova.
Dhondt, S., Kraan, K. O., & Bal, M. (2021). Organisation, technological change and skills use over time: A longitudinal study on linked employee surveys. New Technology, Work and Employment, 1–20.
Pasmore, W., Winby, S., Mohrman, S. A., & Vanasse, R. (2019). Reflections: sociotechnical systems design and organization change. Journal of Change Management, 19(2), 67–85.
Sony, M., & Naik, S. (2020). Industry 4.0 integration with socio-technical systems theory: A systematic review and proposed theoretical model. Technology in Society, 61, 101248.
Bostrom, R. P., & Heinen, J. S. (1977). MIS problems and failures: A socio-technical perspective. MIS Quarterly, 1(3), 17–32.
Cherns, A. (1976). The principles of sociotechnical design. Human Relations, 29(8), 783–792.
Cooper, R., & Foster, M. (1971). Sociotechnical systems. American Psychologist, 26(5), 467.
Sutcliffe, A. G. (2000). Requirements analysis for socio-technical system design. Information Systems, 25(3), 213–233.
Yurtseven, M. K., & Buchanan, W. W. (2013, March). Socio-technical system design: A general systems theory perspective. In Proceedings of the international conference on engineering and computer education-ICECE’2013.
Orlikowski, W. (1992). The duality of technology: rethinking the concept of technology in organizations. Organization Science, 3(3), 398–427.
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319–340.
Davis, F. D. (1993). User acceptance of information technology: system characteristics, user perceptions and behavioral impacts. International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, 38(3), 475–487.
Davis, F. D., Bagozzi, R. P., & Warshaw, P. R. (1989). User acceptance of computer technology: a comparison of two theoretical models. Management Science, 35, 982–1003.
Venkatesh, V., Thong, J. Y., & Xu, X. (2012). Consumer acceptance and use of information technology: extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. MIS Quarterly, 36, 157–178.
Kim, M., & Beehr, T. A. (2021). The role of organization-based self-esteem and job resources in promoting employees’ job crafting behaviors. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 1–28.
Kooij, D. T., De Lange, A. H., & Van De Voorde, K. (2022). Stimulating job crafting behaviors of older workers: The influence of opportunity-enhancing human resource practices and psychological empowerment. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 31(1), 22–34.
Shin, Y., Hur, W. M., Kim, H. G., & Cheol Gang, M. (2020). Managers as a missing entity in job crafting research: Relationships between store manager job crafting, job resources, and store performance. Applied Psychology, 69(2), 479–507.
Xin, X., Cai, W., Zhou, W., Baroudi, S. E., & Khapova, S. N. (2020). How can job crafting be reproduced? Examining the trickle-down effect of job crafting from leaders to employees. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(3), 894.
Wang, B., Schlagwein, D., Cecez-Kecmanovic, D., & Cahalane, M. C. (2020). Beyond the factory paradigm: Digital nomadism and the digital future (s) of knowledge work post-COVID-19. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 21(6), 10.
Bélanger, J. J., Lafrenière, M. A. K., Vallerand, R. J., & Kruglanski, A. W. (2013). Driven by fear: The effect of success and failure information on passionate individuals’ performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104(1), 180–195.
Hitchcock, A., Laycock, K., & Sundorph, E. (2017). Work in progress. Towards a leaner, smarter public-sector workforce. Available at https://reform.uk/sites/default/files/2018-10/Work%20in%20Progress%20Reform.pdf.
Rosen, L., & Samuel, A. (2015). Conquering digital distraction. Harvard Business Review, 93(June), 110–113.
Marović, I., & Bulatović, G. (2020). Development of a hybrid agile management model in local self-government units. Tehniçki vjesnik, 27(5), 1418–1426.
Mergel, I., Ganapati, S., & Whitford, A. B. (2020). Agile: A new way of governing. Public Administration Review, 81(1), 161–165.
Myers, M. D. (1997). Qualitative research in information systems. Management Information Systems Quarterly, 21(2), 241–242.
Yin, R. K. (2013). Case study research: Design and methods. Sage.
Stake, R. E. (2006). Multiple case study analysis. Guilford.
Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. Sage.
Cassell, C., & Symon, G. (Eds.). (2004). Essential guide to qualitative methods in organizational research. Sage.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2015). Research methods for business students (7th ed.). Pearson.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Ravarini, A., Varriale, L., Cuel, R. (2024). Digital Job Crafting: Toward an Integrated Socio-technical Model. In: Lazazzara, A., Reina, R., Za, S. (eds) Towards Digital and Sustainable Organisations. ItAIS 2022. Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation, vol 65. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-52880-4_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-52880-4_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-52879-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-52880-4
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)