Dare to thrive! How and when do development idiosyncratic deals promote individual thriving at work?

Abstract

Despite the importance of a thriving workforce in sustaining organizational success, prior research pays little attention to how individualized human resource (HR) practices can help individual employees to thrive at work. Drawing on the theoretical underpinnings of conservation of resources theory, we investigate whether, how, and when development idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) can contribute to individual thriving. We contend that possessing development i-deals will motivate individuals to engage in approach job crafting, which in turn promotes their experience of thriving at work. We further contend that high-quality leader–member exchange will enhance the function of development i-deals in triggering approach job crafting and subsequent thriving experiences. Results from a two-wave survey involving 278 managers in a pharmaceutical firm in China and a three-wave survey among 178 managers working in various organizations in the UK support our hypotheses. Our findings provide new insights for practitioners seeking to design customized HR practices to support a thriving workforce.