mindcraft: finding meaning in your work through job crafting...tims, maria, daantje derks, and...

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:

michbrooks@stanford.edu

ashley.boyington@hsc.utah.edu

pamela.carpenter@hsc.utah.edu

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.