Question

are there any potential drawback of job crafting approch? if so how can they be minimized?

Answer 1

Running Head: LIMITING DRAWBACKS OF JOB CRAFTING

LIMITING DRAWBACKS OF JOB CRAFTING

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LIMITING DRAWBACKS OF JOB CRAFTING

Introduction

Job crafting is the practice of employees constantly changing their tasks, roles and interactions within the workplace. The aim is to help them customize their job to fit in more with their likes and abilities (Wrzesniewski, & Dutton, 2001). The practice is aimed at exploring all possible ways of doing the work, so as to identify the best approach. This paper explores the possible drawbacks of the practice.

Drawbacks of Job Crafting

Goal Conflict

One of the potential drawbacks of job crafting is a conflict of individual and organizational goals. The aim of any business organization is to get desirable outputs. Job crafting may mean the individual employee is more interested in how he does the job than what he produces (Wrzesniewski, & Dutton, 2001). This is a potential conflict that may seriously affect the relationship of the two parties. It is likely that the employee may emerge the loser. For instance, if a teacher wants to take his students for more educational trips, while the school wants syllabus coverage, the teacher may end up sacked.

Loss of Focus

Another probable drawback is lack of focus on the part of the employee. If his aim is to find out new ways of doing his job, he is unlikely to keep in focus what the job was about in the first place (Wrzesniewski, & Dutton, 2001). Job crafting involves redefining the very job description. In the end the crafting may be more than of the job itself.

Inefficiency

Job crafting may result in different employees doing the same job in different ways. This may result in inefficiency, due to lack of a coordinated approach (Wrzesniewski, & Dutton,

LIMITING DRAWBACKS OF JOB CRAFTING

2001). The outcome may be low productivity. As a result the economic standing of the organization may be affected.

Resolving the Drawbacks

The best way of resolving these drawbacks is to exercise organizational control over the job crafting process. There should be a superior individual whose work is to approve what is acceptable, and reject what is not, in the process (Wrzesniewski, & Dutton, 2001). Going back to the educational trips example, the teacher should be allowed to go on trips, but the number should be limited. That way crafting will not completely affect learning.

LIMITING DRAWBACKS OF JOB CRAFTING

References

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.