Mindcraft: Finding Meaning in Your Work Through Job Crafting
Ashley BoyingtonAJ Fletcher, BAMichelle Brooks, C-TAGMEPamela Carpenter, C-TAGME, MEd
Objectives1. Define meaningfulness at work and
explore differences between finding happiness and meaning in psychology.
2. Analyze common misconceptions regarding workplace happiness and highly meaningful lives.
3. Apply job crafting strategies to increase a sense of meaningfulness at work.
Disclaimers• No financial
disclosures• Not trained
psychologists• This is a basic intro to
the principles of job crafting; not a full job crafting exercise
Meaning is:
• A clear connection between what you highly value and what you do
• Clear realization of impacts of efforts• Trust and ownership of projects that excite you• Belonging to a community
The ways in which people create and find direction, intention, and purpose. Humans ask and search for the WHY!
Meaning vs Happiness
Happiness MeaningWants and needs of self Needs of others
Takers Givers
Focused on present Contemplates past, present, & future
Temporary Permanent
My fellows notice my work and go out of their way to acknowledge it
Doing everything I can to enhance the learning experience of my fellows so they can be the best doctors providing the best care
Show Us: Agree, Disagree, or Neutral
https://www.gallup.com/education/248222/gallup-bates-purposeful-work-2019.aspxhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccafraserthill/2019/08/07/the-5-biggest-myths-about-meaningful-work/#299a59e870b8
• Work meaning isn’t important• You have to be in a care industry• Only high status jobs are meaningful• You have to overhaul your career to find meaning• You have to make more money to have meaning
Agree, Disagree, Neutral
Meaningfulness at Work - What the experts say!
A. 3x more job retentionB. 1.7x increased satisfactionC. 1.4x increased engagementD. 9 out 10 would work for less E. A sense of purpose deepens the further along you
are in your careerF. All of the above
https://hbr.org/2018/11/9-out-of-10-people-are-willing-to-earn-less-money-to-do-more-meaningful-work
Stonecutter
Hospital Housekeepers
• Professors Jane Dutton Amy Wrzesniewski
• Qualitative study • Job meaning
The Meaning
What they felt:
• Part of the healing process & healthcare team
• Integral to improving patient outcomes• In a professional contract with the patients
How do we increase the meaning we find in our own jobs?
What is Job Crafting?
Take your existing job expectations/job descriptions and expand them to suit your desires to make a difference.
• Create opportunities that benefit both you and the organization
• Identify and change relationships of those you work with.
• Define your purpose and find the meaning in your work.
Does it work?
Bakker, et al: Crafting = engagement; performance
Tims, et al: Crafting = meaningfulness of work
Slemp, et al: Crafting = perceived autonomy; well-being; perceived support
Bakker, Arnold B., Maria Tims, and Daantje Derks. "Proactive personality and job performance: The role of job crafting and work engagement." Human relations 65.10 (2012): 1359-1378.
Tims, Maria, Daantje Derks, and Arnold B. Bakker. "Job crafting and its relationships with person–job fit and meaningfulness: A three-wave study." Journal of Vocational Behavior 92 (2016): 44-53.
Slemp, Gavin R., Margaret L. Kern, and Dianne A. Vella-Brodrick. "Workplace well-being: The role of job crafting and autonomy support." Psychology of Well-being 5.1 (2015): 7.
Create 3 columns; 6 boxesTasks Relationships Perceptions
Steps to Job Crafting
Step One
1. Task Crafting
What is task crafting?
Changing up your responsibilities
“I am now a snack genie, a form completer, and a meeting
planner... I grow more somber each year as we graduate a group of residents that I never
got the chance to know.”
“my role as program coordinator is no longer
one of a confidante, counselor, friend and
‘schedule genie.’”
“Is my time better spent grocery shopping for snacks for the resident lounge than planning a schedule that works for a resident’s life?”
TasksStep One: Identify Tasks
What I do:
What I love to do:
Task Crafting - Ask Yourself
● How can you mold your current role to align with passions?
● Which current work tasks suit your skills or interest?● What new work tasks might suit your skills or interests?● Can you increase the scope of your work? ● Can you add efficiency in order to do what you love
more or new responsibilities?
Step Two
1. Task Crafting2. Relationship Crafting
What is relationship crafting?
Changing up your interactions
Tasks RelationshipsStep Two: Identify Relationships
What I do:
What I love to do:
Who do I work with:
Who do I love to work with:
Relationship Crafting - Ask Yourself • How can you change or reframe the relationships you have
with others at work? Build more trust?
• What can you do to increase/improve communication?
• How can you increase your positive relationships?
• Can you add meaningful connections with your customers, peers, team, mentors, mentees, etc?
• Who should you spend less time around? Whose opinion should you put less stock in?
Step Three
1. Task Crafting2. Relationship Crafting3. Perception Crafting
What is perception crafting?
Changing up your mindset
Tasks Relationships PerceptionsStep Three: Identify Perceptions
What I do:
What I love to do:
Who do I work with:
Who do I love to work with:
What is my role:
What is my meaning:
Perception Crafting - Ask yourself
● What tasks do you need to change your mindset about?
● What is my significance to my organization?● What impact does your work have on the team,
trainees, institution, field, your peers?
Putting it into Practice
Example: Cook
Tasks Relationships Perceptions
What I do:
What I love to do:
Who do I work with:
Who do I love to work with:
What is my role:
What is my meaning:
● Order food supplies● Keep kitchen clean● Prepare meals on
time● Communicate to
peers for customer service
● Creating new dishes● Plating food
● Managers● Cooks● Vendors● Customers
● Make food in the appropriate time following health standards.
● Cooks that want to learn
● Customers that are foodies
● Express creativity by preparing and displaying quality culinary artwork while maintaining health standards and in a timely manner.
Example: Cook
Group Work
Tasks Relationships Perceptions
What I do:
What I love to do:
Who do I work with:
Who do I love to work with:
What is my role:
What is my meaning:
● Order food supplies● Keep kitchen clean● Prepare meals on
time● Communicate to
peers for customer service
● Creating new dishes● Plating food
● Managers● Cooks● Vendors● Customers
● Make food in the appropriate time following health standards.
● Cooks that want to learn
● Customers that are foodies
● Express creativity by preparing and displaying quality culinary artwork while maintaining health standards and in a timely manner.
Example: Cook
Sharing Time!
Tasks Relationships PerceptionsExample: Me
What I do:
What I love to do:
Who do I work with:
Who do I love to work with:
What is my role:
What is my meaning:
• Direct Administrative Staff
• Manage budget • Ensure accreditation of
UME and GME programs in Peds
• Mentoring others• Designing
educational and creative content
• Educational research
• Faculty• Trainees• Staff• GME office• APPD
• Director of the Peds Education Enterprise
• Educational Specialists
• Trainees• APPD!
• Add to the field of Pediatrics through the creation of educational content and research and by mentoring amazing educational specialists and trainees.
Food For Thought
DON’T
● Focus on changing perception of others● Focus on toxic people● Don’t erode focus on the job that you were hired for ● Refuse opportunities● Let fear or imposter syndrome stop you
Food For Thought
DO
● Focus on personal mindset and purpose● Focus on internal validation● Focus on perception of management and directors ● Be aware of your bandwidth
Q&A
Have more questions?
Email us at:
Thank youWe enjoyed ‘mind’ crafting with you!
References1. Finding Meaning in Medicine. Karin Evans https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/finding_meaning_in_medicine2. Seligman, M. E. (2004). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment.
Simon and Schuster.3. Perceiving and responding to challenges in job crafting at different ranks: When proactivity requires adaptivity Journal of
Organizational Behavior, J. Organiz. Behav. 31, 158–186 (2010); Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI: 10.1002/job.645
4. The job crafting questionnaire: A new scale to measure the extent to which employees engage in job crafting. Article · January 2013 DOI: 10.5502/ijw.v3i2.1
5. Stanford Research: The Meaningful Life Is a Road Worth Traveling. Clifton Parker-https://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/january/meaningful-happy-life-010114.html
6. How To Build (not Find) Meaning In Your Work. Michelle Hofmann-Chrissy Daniels-Tom Miller -https://accelerate.uofuhealth.utah.edu/connect/how-to-build-not-find-meaning-in-your-work
7. Meaning and Purpose: Refocusing on the Why in Medical Education. Antonius Tsai, et al. -https://catalyst.nejm.org/meaning-and-purpose-medical-education/
8. Why You Should Stop Trying To Be Happy At Work. Susan Peppercorn-John Coleman-Kristi Hedges. https://hbr.org/2019/07/why-you-should-stop-trying-to-be-happy-at-work
9. Bakker, Arnold B., Maria Tims, and Daantje Derks. "Proactive personality and job performance: The role of job crafting and work engagement." Human relations 65.10 (2012): 1359-1378.
10. Tims, Maria, Daantje Derks, and Arnold B. Bakker. "Job crafting and its relationships with person–job fit and meaningfulness: A three-wave study." Journal of Vocational Behavior 92 (2016): 44-53
11. Slemp, Gavin R., Margaret L. Kern, and Dianne A. Vella-Brodrick. "Workplace well-being: The role of job crafting and autonomy support." Psychology of Well-being 5.1 (2015): 7.
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