Designing your own job: how protean mindset and adaptability resources shape the modern workplace

Abstract

Purpose

As employees face increased turbulence due to uncertain economic and organisational conditions, they are nowadays pushed to be proactive in both their jobs and careers in terms of heightened customisation, adaptability and flexibility. Drawing from the career construction theory, we examine the reciprocal associations of a contemporary career orientation among employees to customise one’s own career (i.e. protean career orientation) vs one’s own job (i.e. job crafting behaviours) as well as the boundary conditions due to the levels of career adaptability.

Design/methodology/approach

We conducted a cross-lagged study with three waves using data collected from a sample of Polish employees. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling in AMOS.

Findings

Results from a cross-lagged panel study with 168 participants revealed a bidirectional relationship between protean career orientation and job crafting behaviours. The results also confirmed the moderating role of career adaptability between these two variables.

Originality/value

This research is one of the first to examine a reciprocal relationship between protean career orientation and job crafting. Moreover, it examines the moderating role of career adaptability in the aforementioned association.

Citation

Kundi, Y.M., Lo Presti, A. and Khan, H. (2025), "Designing your own job: how protean mindset and adaptability resources shape the modern workplace", Career Development International, Vol. 30 No. 1, pp. 91-105. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-05-2024-0223