Entrepreneurial Leadership and Job Crafting Among Millennials in SMEs: The Mediating Role of Work Passion

In an era marked by rapid shifts in the organizational landscape, organizations value employees who actively engage in job crafting to foster positive organizational development. This emphasis is particularly crucial for small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) due to their limited financial resources for new recruitment. This study explores the relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and job crafting among millennials employed in SMEs. Additionally, it examines the mediating role of work passion, acting as an “energized-to” motivation, in the relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and job crafting. By analyzing quantitative data collected in two waves from 352 millennials working in the service sectors of SMEs, the study reveals that entrepreneurial leadership and work passion positively influence only three dimensions of job crafting behaviors, including increasing structural job resources, social job resources, and challenging job demands. Furthermore, the results suggest that work passion partially mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and the three dimensions of job crafting. Based on these findings, the study recommends practical strategies to cultivate entrepreneurial leadership among individuals holding leadership positions within SMEs.