A program promoting job crafting behavior: Methodological foundations and practical experience

Abstract

Job or study crafting – proactive steps taken by employees or students to redesign their tasks, social environment, or work attitude — has become the focus of well-being intervention and management programs. Research on their effectiveness, however, indicates a weak effect or none at all. We have developed a new online crafting training program which addresses the limitations of the previous ones. Our program draws on the following methodologies: 1) the ADKAR Model, which focuses on step-by-step change management at the individual level; 2) the principle of paired learning; 3) the fundamentals of the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT); 4) positive pedagogy based on M. Seligman’s Positive Psychology Theory; and 5) D. Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model, based on reflection on the experiences gained directly during training. The training structure is described in an article by Kazantseva, Mararitsa, and Kinunen (2024). A total of 53 students (87% women) enrolled in social science programs at Saint-Petersburg State University participated in a study of the program’s effectiveness, which ran between July and November 2024. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: a control and an experimental one. The final sample totaled 29 individuals (83% women) with an average age of 27 years (M=27.48, SD=9.85). A Mann–Whitney U test revealed no differences between the control and the experimental group at the initial assessment (before the training). After the training, statistically significant differences were found in psychoemotional well-being (WHO-5, mean scores: M=9.70, SD=2.00 in the experimental group; M=6.33, SD=1.16 in the control group; p=0.02 for Mann–Whitney and p=0.01 when tested using ANOVA). As for proactive attitudes, a change was found in the sense of personal responsibility for what was happening (2_PAS, M=3.45, SD=0.51 in the exp. group; M=2.67, SD=0.58 in the control group; p=0.05 and p=0.02, respectively), as well as in the response to a question about friendship with people with similar skills or interests from the social crafting scale (15 JCQ, M=4.65, SD=0.81 in the exp. group; M=5.67, SD=0.58 in the control group; p=0.05 and p=0.05, respectively).