Towards an integrated definition of job crafting

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Introduction
In the last two years, we have experienced turbulent times-political chaos, climate disasters and a global pandemic -which have changed the way we work, requiring job adjustments to respond to customer and company demands.
On the one hand, these unexpected adverse situations have caused many professionals to readjust the tasks in their day-to-day, their relational map and even their way of thinking, in the development of day-to-day strategies to ensure the sustainability of their jobs (Wang, Demerouti, Blanc & Lu, 2018) and, on the other hand, uncertainty about the evolution of jobs.As a result, organizations need to identify what competencies and skills employees will require to align the person with their job.In this context, training becomes an intangible asset of extreme importance.Some approaches suggest that talent managers should make jobs more flexible instead of defining fixed positions.This is best shown when working with job missions that allow to draw the performance of the day-to-day to give an effective and efficient response, maintaining and even improving the satisfaction and the level of commitment of the employee in the organization (Grant & Parker, 2009).Professional activity requires a high consumption of time and energy, so a necessary correlation between what is done and what one believes becomes very important, known as cognitive dissonance (Festinger, 1959), generating a discomfort that can have physical and psychological impacts.Therefore, being able to perform a professional activity that reduces this dissonance will have effects on our life expectancy and state of well-being.Work that bores us has an impact on the commitment we make and, consequently, on the performance and results of the company (Harju, Hakanen & Schaufeli, 2016).
Unfortunately, very few have the good fortune to find those jobs that allow them to develop their full potential, therefore, the answer lies in how the worker can adapt their daily tasks and behaviors to find the meaning that is aligned with their purpose (Dik, Byrne & Steger, 2013).This proactive attitude, which is part of the employees and the impact on the performance of their work and consequently on the organization in which they work, is what is framed under the term job crafting.
The notion of job crafting comes in many forms, varying according to the context and scope of the analysis (Petrou, Demerouti, Peeters, Schaufeli & Hetland, 2012;Slemp & Vella-Brodrick, 2013;Niessen, Weseler & Kostova, 2016;Kim, Im, Qu & NamKoong, 2018;Kim & Beehr, 2021).In the last three years, study of the concept of job crafting has increased significantly, partially due to the changes that the COVID-19 pandemic introduced in the approach to work, where job descriptions have had to be adjusted following the initiatives of each employee in order to respond to organizational needs.
Although the literature on the job crafting concept has already come a long way since it was defined by Wrzesniewski and Dutton in 2001, it has been limited by the lack of consensus to reach a single definition due to its complex nature.In the present work, a definition is proposed that incorporates the common traits shared by the different definitions of the authors, adding the new emergent working environments that are appearing, such as hybrids (face-to-face and remote) and the embryonic metaverse.
The document is structured as follows.Based on a systematic review of the literature, we describe the definitions of job crafting.In the methodology section, we explain the method used, the data collection carried out and its preparation.We present our results, discuss our findings and limitations, and provide suggestions for future research.

Methodology
The methodology used to obtain an integrative definition of the term job crafting has been developed in two stages: in the first stage, the traditional protocol of a review of the literature has been followed, that is, study planning, selection of documents, analysis and synthesis of the information and, finally, communication of the findings and, in the second stage, the creation of an integrative definition based on the common elements identified in the previous stage carried out.

Searching for information and selecting documents
The systematic review of the literature was carried out following the approach of González del Val and Cano (2022) based on Denyer and Tranfield (2005) and Pérez-Rave (2012).The criteria for inclusion/exclusion of documents were as follows: i) articles reviewed by experts in databases that have such a requirement to index articles, in particular, have been analyzed: Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, ABI and Emerald; ii) written in English or Spanish (following Amor et al., 2019); and iii) that the words'job crafting' appear in the title and summary of articles published in the last three years (2020)(2021)(2022).Table 1 shows the number of articles located in the selected databases.The investigation was carried out between the months of November 2021 and May 2022.
From the total of articles reviewed, 47 were selected where one or several definitions of the term 'job crafting' appeared, proposed by the authors themselves (Sharma & Nambudiri, 2020) or by previous authors.In total, 76 original job crafting definitions were found, which are shown in their original version (in English) in Table 2.The most cited definitions have been those proposed by Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001) focused on individual differences at the cognitive, behavioral and relational levels, and by Tims and Bakker (2010), who focuses more on the task from the point of view of the demands and resources required.

AUTHORS
YEAR DEFINITION: Job Crafting is defined as...

Wrzesniewski and Dutton 2001
Self-initiated physical or cognitive changes made by an employee that alter the job and its meaning to better correspond to that individual's work identity and values, understanding of the purpose of their work.

Wrzesniewski and Dutton 2001
The physical and cognitive changes individuals make to the task or relational boundaries of their work.

Wrzesniewski and Dutton 2001
Refers to a bottom-up process that employees undertake themselves to better match their own needs, aspirations, preferences, and circumstances to their jobs .

Wrzesniewski and Dutton 2001
Employee-driven cognitive and physical changes in work tasks and relational boundaries.

Ghitulescu 2007
Views employees as creators of the motivational potential of their jobs, such that (1) job elements that traditionally compose the design of the job and thus are externally determined, are internally shaped by employees' behaviors; and (2) people do not simply interpret and react to cues offered by their job and social context, but rather actively enact their jobs in new ways that reflect individual preferences and understandings.Grant and Ashford 2008 A form of proactive behavior, driven by employees rather than management

Grant and Ashford 2008
A kind of self-oriented proactive behavior is a kind of self-oriented proactive behavior with which individuals improve their fit with their job, revise the meaning of their work and change their work identity.Is a proactive behavior, in that individuals take an active role in their approach toward their work, initiate future-oriented actions, and create favorable conditions.

Parker and Ohly 2008
That employees may actively change the design of their jobs by choosing tasks, negotiating different job content, and assigning meaning to their tasks or jobs.Leana, Appelbaum and Shevchuk 2009 The joint efforts of team members to decide how to alter the work to meet their shared work goals.

Tims and Bakker 2010
An employee-initiated activity in which employees seek to balance their job demands and resources.

Belschak and Den Hartog 2010
A kind of self-oriented proactive behavior is a kind of self-oriented proactive behavior with which individuals improve their fit with their job, revise the meaning of their work and change their work identity.

AUTHORS YEAR DEFINITION: Job
Crafting is defined as...

Parker, Bindl and Strauss 2010
A proactive behavior, in that individuals take an active role in their approach toward their work, initiate future-oriented actions, and create favorable conditions.

Tims and Bakker 2010
Self-initiated changes regarding job resources (aspects of the job that are functional in achieving work-related goals, reducing job demands and associated costs, or stimulating personal growth and development) and regarding job demands (aspects of the job that require sustained effort and are therefore associated with certain costs) as self-initiated changes regarding job resources (aspects of the job that are functional in achieving work-related goals, reducing job demands and associated costs, or stimulating personal growth and development) and regarding job demands (aspects of the job that require sustained effort and are therefore associated with certain costs).

Tims and Bakker 2010
The changes that employees may make to balance their job demands and job resources with their personal abilities and needs .

Tims and Bakker 2010
Changes undertaken by employees to balance their job demands and job resources with their abilities and needs.Achievement of fit, in turn, leads to greater job satisfaction, perceived meaningfulness of work, and work engagement .

Bindl and Parker 2011
A proactive behavior, in that individuals take an active role in their approach toward their work, initiate future-oriented actions, and create favorable conditions.

Petrou et al. 2012
Proactive employee behavior consisting of seeking resources, seeking challenges, and reducing demands.

Nielsen and Abildgaard 2012
Describes a set of proactive behaviors in which employees may engage to shape their work in order to minimize hindering job demands and maximize resources and challenging demands.

Tims, Bakker, and Derks 2012
The changes employees make to balance their job demands and job resources with their personal abilities and needs.

Tims et al 2012
The changes that employees make to balance their job demands and job resources with their personal needs and abilities.

Tims et al. 2012
Self-initiated changes that employees make in their own job demands and job resources to attain and/or optimize their personal (work) goals.

Tims et al. 2012
The physical and cognitive changes individuals make in their task or relational boundaries.Physical changes refer to changes in the form, scope or number of job tasks or relationships at work, whereas cognitive changes refer to changing how one perceive.

Tims et al. 2012
The changes that employees may make to balance their job demands and job resources with their personal abilities and needs.

Tims et al. 2012
The changes that individuals may make to balance their job resources and demands with their personal abilities and needs.

Tims et al 2012
The self-initiated changes that employees make in their own job demands and job resources to attain and/or optimize their personal (work) goals.

Petrou et al. 2012
A proactive employee behavior consisting of resources seeking, challenges seeking, and demands reducing.

Berg et al. 2010
It is a way to think about job design that puts employees "in the driver's seat" in cultivating meaningfulness in their work.

Slemp and Vella-Brodrick 2013
The ways in which employees take an active role in initiating changes to the physical, cognitive, or social features of their jobs.It is an informal process that workers use to shape their work practice so that it aligns with their idiosyncratic interests and values.The self-initiated changes employees make to their job to optimize their functioning in terms of well-being, attitudes, and behavior .The changes made by workers in their job context for adjusting their activities to their preferences.
Demerouti, Bakker and Gevers 2015 Enables employees to steer their work toward their passions to obtain more enjoyment and meaning from their jobs.

Petrou et al. 2015
Voluntary, self-initiated behaviors including seeking resources, seeking challenges, and reducing demands to improve job conditions.

Petrou et al 2015
Voluntary self-initiated employee behaviors targeted at seeking resources (i.e., asking manager or colleagues for advice), seeking challenges (i.e., asking more responsibilities), and reducing demands (i.e., eliminating emotionally, mentally, or physically demanding job aspects).Behaviors put employees in a better position to accomplish better results as well as a better state of well-being.

Van Wingerden et al. 2017
Focuses on the process by which employees change elements of their jobs and relationships with others to redefine the meaning of their work and the social environment at work. the changes individuals make in their level of job demands or job resources, which directs attention to the proactive, bottom-up ways in which employees alter the tasks and boundaries of their job.

Radstaak and Hennes 2017
The possibility of an employee to take a self-starting approach to their work and to proactively mobilize their own job resources to stay engaged in the task given to them, in order to improve both person-job fit and work motivation.

Lee and Lee 2018
Employees' proactive behaviors in either increasing or decreasing job resources and job demands, it is unsurprising that job characteristics (e.g., decision-making autonomy, task variety, task significance, task identity, and job feedback) and work environment.

Kim et al. 2018
The proactive behavior of employees in changing and reshaping the tasks or relationships that make up their job in order to keep it challenging, motivating, and healthy.

Guan and Frenkel 2018
Employees as potentially active job designers capable of making job-related innovation which impacts their performance.The consequence of an informal process that employees engage in order to align their profession with their personal interests and values.

Mustafa and MahaAbdeenAbdeenkeder 2021
An action of reducing aspects that can have a negative impact on the individual beyond increasing the one's workload or deepening the relationship with people.

Adikara and Soetjipto 2021
The proactive behavior of employees in mobilizing their job resources, seeking help and support from their supervisor and colleagues, and modifying their job boundaries to create more a favorable working environment.

Kim and Beehr 2021
Employees' self-oriented proactive behaviors to change their work environment to better fit their preferences and abilities and to result in psychological resources for the employee is a potential pathway for organizations to obtain competitive advantage, as well as to motivate employees toward task accomplishment.Kim and Beehr 2021 A self-initiated activity, organizations can encourage it through their leaders.

Rajalakshmi and Gayathri 2022
An employee may engage in task, cognitive and relational crafting to align the work conditions with his/ her needs and abilities and make a job more interesting.
Tims, Twemlow and Fong, 2022 A type of proactive work behavior that employees engage in to adjust their jobs to their needs, skills, and preferences.

Tims et al. 2022
At the core of job crafting lies the idea that individuals make changes to certain aspects of their work or work roles, on their own initiative, to better align their job with their skills, abilities and preferences.

Bakker 2022
May take the form of proactively increasing challenge job demands, decreasing hindrance job demands, increasing structural job resources or increasing social job resources.

Griep, Vanbelle, Van den Broeck and De Witte 2022
Employees making self-initiated changes to their job with a pro-self-focused purpose.To include only changes in specific job demands and resources, the global approach makes abstraction of the specific type of changes.refers to the overarching purpose of optimizing one's functioning in terms of wellbeing, attitudes, or behavior.Table 2

. Compiled job crafting definitions
Although there is no single definition, from the different aspects or factors that the various authors have considered that characterize the term job crafting, it becomes evident that most cover the common features.Among others, it should be noted that job crafting is associated with a series of immediate positive results, which also in the long term benefit individuals, their environment and the organization in general, identifying also a greater alignment with personal expectations and sense of identity (Grant, 2007), orientation to achievement and enjoyment with what is done (Berg et al., 2010), feelings of greater competence and mastery of the task (Barker, 2007), job satisfaction (Ghitulescu, 2007;Kim & Beehr, 2021;Tims, Bakker & Derks, 2013), of increased work performance both evaluated by others and self-evaluated (Bakker, Tims & Derks, 2012;Petrou et al., 2015;Tims et al., 2015), creativity and contextual performance (Demerouti et al., 2015), impact on role performance and performance of actions outside the assigned role (Bakker et al., 2012;Cenciotti, Borgogni, Callea, Cortese, Ingusci & Zito, 2016;Dierdorff & Jensen, 2018;Kooij et al., 2017;Rofcanin, Bakker, Berber, Gölgeci & Las Heras, 2019;Tims et al., 2015) and a dismemberment of inefficient or counterproductive behavior (Esteves & Lopes, 2017).
As a consequence of all this, we also evidenced greater customer satisfaction and organization al success (Kanten, 2014) as a positive contribution to improving the meaning of work, ultimately making both the individual and the organisation better able to cope with possible future adversities (Griep et al., 2022).
Job crafting has been conceptually related to work engagement through a motivational process (Petrou et al., 2012), since motivation and satisfaction are linked to the characteristics of work (Hackman & Oldham, 1976).By changing these characteristics of the job, that is, the demands of the job and the resources of the job (Tims & Bakker, 2010) in a more favorable way through job crafting, there is a feeling of improved correspondence or adjustment in the job, generating a motivating process (Petrou et al., 2012), which results in higher levels of work commitment.However, it seems that there is no clarity regarding the functioning of the motivational process in this case (Hulshof, Demerouti & Le Blanc, 2020).
Caymaz, Soran and Şeşen (2021) distinguish three aspects that characterize job crafting: 1. Proactivity: It is an indicator of proactive behavior among employees.According to this term, willing employees can determine job crafting opportunities.They can act actively at work and redefine their tasks and objectives at work.In addition, they can actively seek resources and opportunities to generate suitable conditions for job crafting and strive to redesign challenges.
2. Adaptability of the process: According to research, job crafting is a continuous process that can be influenced by the moment employees are at in their careers.It is also seen as an adaptive process.
Employees use their strengths to solve work-related problems and ensure seamless work continuity.
3. Immaterial rewards: Enthusiastic employees pursue material return at work and strive for the intrinsic meaning of work.Such an awareness of the personal value and impact of what is done in the world could be given as examples.

Preparation
To identify the most repeated words in the analyzed definitions, the application "wordart" has been used.Figure 1 shows the result of this analysis.Most definitions share that the person proactively modifies their tasks, roles and relationships to align with their strengths, skills and preferences when doing the work.Another important variable is that the person's initiative will be conditioned by the environment, and that it seeks a positive outcome for the organization and society.

Integrated definition of job crafting
The term job crafting was coined by Wrzesniewski and Dutton in the publication of their article "Crafting a job: Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work" in 2001, where they introduced the concept "job crafting" with the intention of defining how employees adjust their work by changing cognitive boundaries, tasks and/or relationships to shape interactions and relationships with others at work, establishing a relationship between the motivation generated by making these changes, and the possibilities offered by these changes such as their social and organizational impact.His studies are considered a fundamental reference of what is job crafting, and have become the seed of many investigations, where theoretical models are based on cognitive, behavioral, achievement and avoidance changes (Hu, Taris, Dollard & Schaufeli, 2020).
Another widely cited approach is that of Tim and Bakker ( 2010), which it focuses on defining job crafting as, "the changes undertaken by employees to balance the demands of their work and labor resources with their abilities and needs.The achievement of adjustment, in turn, leads to greater job satisfaction, perception of the meaning of work and work commitment".
On the other hand, Tims et al. (2012) incorporated the elaboration of work within the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model (Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner & Schaufeli, 2001).They defined four dimensions of job crafting: 1. Increasing structural labor resources (for example, creating more freedom for decision-making or developing oneself); 2. Increasing social labor resources (for example, creating peer support); 3. Increased challenging job demands (e.g., developing more tasks or responsibilities); 4. Reduced obstructive work demands (e.g., developing fewer cognitive or emotional demands).
Despite some overlap between these two approaches (Demerouti, 2014;Tims et al., 2013), it has been found that there are differences in the studies that are based on each of them, thus, approaches that have focused on cognitive, relational and task development have generally used qualitative research designs, while studies focused on the JD-R model were mostly quantitative.
Later, others have joined in the attempt to give a definition of "job crafting", finding common ground, and others that nuanced the meaning.Considering all of them and that it may be useful to have an integrative definition of the concept "job crafting", as well as all the words used in the definitions and the identifying implications in all of them, our proposed definition is as follows: Job crafting is the proactive behavior that makes the employee change their role, demands, resources and their work, in order to develop their full potential, to have a positive impact on their environment (individual, team, enterprise and society), adapting to any context (face-to-face, remote, hybrid and metaverse).
This integrative definition has generated phrases that collected the meaning of the combination of several words, based on the principle of parsimony or Ockham's razor (Bertrand Russell, 1946) which prioritizes the simplest of all possible explanations.Thus, he states that, on an equal footing, the simplest explanation is usually the most likely.
These phrases are explained below: In order to develop its full potential gathers words that have to do with the strengths, skills and knowledge that the individual possesses, that relying on the people of his or her environment or generating the necessary relationships can show that better version of themselves, that gives them satisfaction, empowerment and better performance.
To have a positive impact on your environment refers to the collaboration with the team, the people of the organization, and the effect that your work has in addition to the sustainability of the company, in society.
Adapting to any context refers to being able to do work considering physical aspects such as a face-to-face situation, remote or metaverse when the case arises, and relational aspects that have to do with the type of leadership, collaborators, team, suppliers and customers, and universal aspects, which refers to the historical moment that is being experienced at that time.

Conclusions
The new realities that are being created by technological evolution and the developments of artificial intelligence, represent an opportunity for companies to design new ways, places and models of work.In this context, the need for more innovative and entrepreneurial employees is highlighted with the aim of providing an agile and effective response to the challenges associated with an ever-changing environment.
This technological revolution, which represents a new paradigm in the way in which professionals communicate and receive information, entails a "change" on the part of the employee in a proactive manner in their workplace, with the aim of achieving a positive impact on all stakeholders.Both aspects change and proactivity becomes very relevant in a context of evolution and permanent challenge, like the one through which we are living.
On the contrary, concepts such as "needs", "self " and "cognitive", which are the least repeated in the definitions analyzed, will, in our view, play a greater role in the future in the human-machine collaborative systems.
This integrative definition of job crafting can be a starting point that can assist companies in the search for talent by providing clarity on what to identify in professionals, and how to create organizations that allow, in the first place, the "development of its potential."Secondly,it can assist by creating both a "positive impact on the environment" and lastly, the ability to "adapt to any context".In this manner, in the design of their learning programs they will be able to incorporate the skills that favor these behaviors, ensuring a quick transfer to the employee in their job.
From the employee's point of view, they can acquire the ability to identify the skills to be developed to continue providing efficient responses that ensure the sustainability of their jobs, promoting their versatility to face any professional activity that may be demanded in the future.

Limitations and future lines of research
Although a rigorous and exhaustive review of the literature has been carried out, this study has some limitations.First, although the databases chosen are the most recognized and with the most complete bibliography worldwide, especially WoS and Scopus, some articles may not be included in such databases and therefore have been omitted.Second, although the English language is the most widely used in social science studies, other relevant job crafting work written in other languages has not been taken into consideration.Therefore, we suggest that future work could use this article as a guide to perform a search for information in a wider range of databases and also in other languages, such as German, Mandarin, French or Portuguese, among others.
Slemp and Vella-Brodrick 2013 The consequence of an informal process that employees engage in order to align their work with their personal interests and values.Van Wingerden, Derks, Bakker and Dorenbosch 2013 The process by which employees change elements of their jobs and relationships with others to redefine the meaning of their work and the social environment at work.Van Wingerden et al. 2013 One way to give employees insight into how they can influence the way their work aligns with their strengths, preferences, motives and passions.Demerouti 2014 The physical and cognitive changes that individuals make in their task or relational boundaries.AUTHORS YEAR DEFINITION: Job Crafting is defined as... Van den Broeck, de Cuyper, Baillien, Vanbelle, Vanhercke and de Witte 2014

Tims,
Bakker and Derks 2015 Employees continuously shape and influence the design of their jobs while performing their job.Van  den Heuvel, Demerouti and Peeters 2015 Proactive behavior at work that allows employees to redesign their own Jobs.van de Riet, Le Blanc and Oerlemans 2015 Redesigning one's job by shaping the task boundaries (either physically or cognitively) and/or the relational boundaries.Niessen, Weseler and Kostova 2016 Changes in the task (cognitive, and behavioral) and social boundaries at work.Niessen, Weseler and Kostova.2016 A kind of self-oriented proactive behavior with which individuals improve their fit with their job, revise the meaning of their work and change their work identity.Niessen, Weseler and Kostova 2016 A proactive behavior, in that individuals take an active role in their approach toward their work, initiate future-oriented actions, and create favorable conditionswhich employees strive to balance job demands and resources according to their personal capacities and needs.vanWingerden, Bakker and Derks 2017 Employees proactively initiate changes in their work environment to optimize the fit between their jobs and their personal needs, abilities, and passions.Nielsen, Nielsen, Ogbonnaya, Känsälä, Saari and Isaksson 2017 The behaviors employees engage in to create a good person-environment fit.Kooij, van Woerkom, Wilkenloh, Dorenbosch and Denissen 2017 the environmental requirements and the available resources in addition to the resources that the person possesses.-initiated changes employees make and strategies they use to optimize their jobs in terms of different boundaries, needs and demands.Mustafa, and MahaAbdeenAbdeenkeder 2021

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.Number of times words are repeated in the set of definitions analyzed