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Crafting sustainable work: development of personal resources

Mari Kira (Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Aalto University School of Science and Technology, Aalto, Finland)
Frans M. van Eijnatten (Human Performance Management Group, Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands)
David B. Balkin (Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA)

Journal of Organizational Change Management

ISSN: 0953-4814

Article publication date: 31 August 2010

5454

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to conceptualize employees' sustainable work abilities, or their long‐term adaptive and proactive abilities to work, farewell at work, and contribute through working. Sustainable work is defined as to promote the development in personal resources leading to sustainable work ability.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual paper distinguishes vital personal resources underlying an employee's sustainable work ability and categorizes these resources with the help of integral theory. Collaborative work crafting was outlined as a tool to promote the development of personal resources and sustainable work ability.

Findings

Sustainable work ability depends on personal resources relating to our human nature as both individual and communal beings with both interior and exterior worlds. Work crafting may create sustainable work in which existing personal resources are benefited from, developed further through learning, or translated into novel resources.

Practical implications

When formal job descriptions and preplanned job design do not work in post‐industrial work, traditional job design can be replaced by collaborative work crafting, which allows development in both work and employees.

Originality/value

The paper synthesizes different types of personal resources needed for sustainable working and outlines their development processes, rather than adds one more theory to explain some specific aspect of well‐being, development, and functioning. The paper offers one of the first definitions of sustainable work.

Keywords

Citation

Kira, M., van Eijnatten, F.M. and Balkin, D.B. (2010), "Crafting sustainable work: development of personal resources", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 23 No. 5, pp. 616-632. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534811011071315

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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