A model explaining the predictors of job crafting. Testing the theory of planned behavior through a latent change score approach.

Although much research has been conducted to investigate the antecedents of job crafting and how it impacts both inter and intrapersonal work-related outcomes, an integrative theory about the dynamics underlying job crafting behavior and a model that can explain its predictors are still missing. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and on the Job Demands-Resources approach to job crafting, we hypothesized that social norms, attitudes and perceived behavioral control build behavioral intention to craft over time, which in turn fosters actual job crafting behaviors. We conducted a two-wave study with a three-month time interval among a sample of employees (N = 243). Results of a latent change score analysis showed that injunctive norms predicted a positive change in employees' behavioral intention to craft over time, which in turn positively predicted actual behavior during the study period. Even though this is the first study that deepens our understanding of the underlying dynamic processes linking cognitive personal and social factors to job crafting behaviors, all measures were self-reports. Also, a time series approach with at least three-time waves could provide more insights on mutual influences, fluctuations and co-variations of the measured constructs over time. This study provides new empirical insights on the key role of social norms for job crafting behaviors to arise in the workplace. Findings suggest that, among all the antecedents considered, injunctive social norms were the only significant predictors of changes in behavioral intention to craft. This suggests that organizations aiming at fostering their employees’ proactive behaviors in terms of job crafting may be aware of the importance of the creation and communication of a supportive organizational culture to translate their visions into actual employees’ behaviors over time.