Does work engagement mediate the influence of job resourcefulness on job crafting? An examination of frontline hotel employees

Purpose - Researchers and practitioners have remarked the critical nature of job crafting for employee and organizational effectiveness in the hotel industry. However, few studies have investigated the determinants of job crafting, especially the role of personality traits. Hence, this study aims to address this research gap by exploring how job resourcefulness influences job crafting and by clarifying the mediating role of work engagement. Design/methodology/approach - The sample of the present study comprised 433 Taiwanese frontline hotel employees. The hypothesized relationships were tested using structural equation modeling. Findings - The results reveal that job-resourceful employees tend to engage themselves at work. Engaged employees tend to craft their jobs individually and collaboratively. That is, work engagement is a mediator between job resourcefulness and job crafting. Finally, the job resourcefulness-work engagement-individual crafting relationship is closer than the job resourcefulness-work engagement-collaborative crafting relationship. Research limitations/implications - The findings suggest that job resourcefulness can be considered as a criterion in selecting and retaining employees. Work engagement may serve as a mechanism for interpreting the relationship between job resourcefulness and job crafting. This study provides crucial insights to help hotel managers seek and aid employees who can actively reshape their work conditions. However, the sample comprises only frontline hotel employees and the generalization can be considered in the future studies. Originality/value - This research is the first to examine the psychological process that mediates the connection between job resourcefulness and job crafting. The findings of this study contribute to the theory of the relationship between personality traits and job crafting and may serve as a reference in related practices.