How promotion-oriented job crafting affects job performance: exploring the role of job-crafting motives

Although theory has recognized that promotion-oriented job crafting may not be inherently beneficial for individuals, previous research has primarily emphasized positive effects to the neglect of potential detrimental consequences. Drawing from the cognitive-affective processing system framework and conservation of resources theory, we propose a balanced model that simultaneously considers the beneficial and detrimental effects of promotion-oriented job crafting on multidimensional job performance (i.e., task performance, altruistic behavior, and workplace deviance). We examined our hypothesized model using three-wave data collected from 288 employees (Study 1) and daily diary data collected from 213 participants across two consecutive work weeks (Study 2). Results from these studies consistently supported the beneficial effects of promotion-oriented job crafting on job performance via positive affect. Results were less consistent regarding the detrimental effects of promotion-oriented job crafting. Study 1 revealed that promotion-oriented job crafting can directly induce a sense of entitlement (i.e., state workplace entitlement), yet Study 2 suggested that these detrimental effects were significant only when employees hold high levels of impression management motives for engaging in promotion-oriented job crafting.