Workplace Innovation with Baby Boomers: The Role of Job Crafting for Performance and Well-Being

This chapter focuses on innovation via job crafting (i.e., employee-based innovations to job design), specifically for the “baby boomer” generation. The authors offer a conceptual model of the outcomes of baby boomers’ job crafting strategies. Specifically, when older (and more experienced) employees have more control over the design of their job responsibilities via job crafting, they are able to use their unique knowledge of their organizations and roles to provide innovations regarding their job tasks, relationships, and perceptions. Consequently, participating in job crafting is thought to support their performance and well-being. The authors also propose that baby boomers are likely to be “active sport tourists” and volunteers at community-based sport and leisure events by using skills learned from active participation in job crafting (e.g., efficiently adjusting their work schedule and increased leadership capacity). Overall, the model proposes that job crafting can provide an organizational competitive advantage by supporting organizational and individual performance and the well-being of baby boomer employees.