Setti, Rachel Sharon (2025) Linking job crafting and work meaningfulness: Conceptual and practical insights for workers, leaders, organisations and coaches. Doctoral thesis, Birkbeck, University of London.
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Rachel Setti - Professional Doctorate Research Thesis - final submission .pdf - Full Version Download (2MB) |
Abstract
Contemporary workplaces continue to evolve towards greater work demands, limited resources and an ‘always on’ status quo borne out of the introduction of easily accessible remote working technology. These developments pose questions relating to how workers can sustain their levels of productivity, satisfaction, fulfilment and wellbeing, and this thesis endeavours to interrogate this issue by researching two empirical concepts in parallel. The first, job crafting, relates to workers’ agentic and proactive exertion of influence over aspects of their role in an effort to create favourable outcomes. The second, work meaningfulness, refers to the experience of deriving purpose, significance and positivity from one’s role. This thesis is made up of two distinct studies. The first study, a Systematic Literature Review, confirmed associations between job crafting and work meaningfulness. In particular, work meaningfulness was identified as a common mediator between job crafting and workplace outcomes such as engagement, job satisfaction, productivity and low turnover intention. Despite this, clear gaps in the current research emerged, namely an over reliance on quantitative, self-reported, cross-sectional studies as well as a distinct absence of intervention-based research. The second study, an empirical qualitative intervention study, explored how cognitive job crafting and work meaningfulness can be proactively supported, encouraged and enhanced in the workplace via coaching conversations. Participants took part in two coaching conversations addressing a workplace issue of their choice. Using a process of reflexive thematic analysis, five themes and 10 sub themes were developed and discussed, adding to the current body of empirical evidence relating to both cognitive job crafting and work meaningfulness. Overall, this thesis identified and addressed gaps in the current scholarly knowledge. In doing so it provided an empirical foray into how researchers, practitioners and leaders alike can employ cognitive job crafting principles for the betterment of the worker experience, and also referenced the ripple effect of cognitive job crafting on the broader team and organisation. In parallel to this, the two studies specifically focussed on how cognitive job crafting can be used to support workers to experience work meaningfulness and its associated benefits. In doing so it provided promising insights, such as, a heightened sense of purpose, empowerment, contribution, professional satisfaction and self-care.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Thesis |
|---|---|
| Copyright Holders: | The copyright of this thesis rests with the author, who asserts his/her right to be known as such according to the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. No dealing with the thesis contrary to the copyright or moral rights of the author is permitted. |
| Depositing User: | Acquisitions And Metadata |
| Date Deposited: | 23 Apr 2025 13:10 |
| Last Modified: | 05 Sep 2025 07:33 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/55450 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.18743/PUB.00055450 |
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