Longitudinal meta-analysis of job crafting shows positive association with work engagement

Abstract

Work engagement is a state in which workers show high levels of vigor, dedication, and absorption to and in their work and have been associated with several positive life outcomes. Job crafting describes a set of pro-active behaviors in which individuals alter their work behaviors and environments. It is thought increased job crafting may be associated with increased work engagement. In order to estimate the effect of job crafting on work engagement and control for reverse causation, we performed a random-effects meta-analysis focused on repeated data designs (e.g., longitudinal, daily diary, RCT). We found a considerable positive association between job crafting and later work engagement (standardized effect size of d = 0.37, 95%CI = [0.16, 0.58]). We conclude the paper with a general discussion of the state of job crafting research, limitations, and a call for large randomized controlled trial interventions.