Crafting and recrafting the self: Cycles of identity struggle in job crafting

Abstract

Job crafting is widely regarded as a proactive approach for enhancing meaning and well‐being at work. This study challenges this view by examining the experiences of 24 change managers across six public‐sector organizations. Conceptualizing job crafting as identity work, we show that it unfolds as a cyclical process of identity management, through which individuals repeatedly respond to identity ambiguity, conflict and unvalidated self‐worth as roles evolve under conditions of change. We identify three recurring identity tensions and three corresponding cycles of identity‐driven job crafting that reflect an emotionally charged process of self‐preservation in response to misalignment and shifting expectations. Across cycles, both approach‐ and avoidance‐oriented crafting strategies generate unintended identity consequences that shape subsequent responses and redirect crafting over time. We further identify alternative value definitions as a novel, symbolic form of job crafting through which individuals sustain authenticity when behavioural adjustment proves insufficient. By reconceptualizing aspects of job crafting as a cyclical identity process marked by emotional strain, this study advances understanding of the darker side of job crafting beyond behaviour‐centred accounts that portray it as uniformly empowering.