Playful Work Design Measure: Validation Study for a Portuguese Sample

Abstract

Work design perspectives have recently focused on bottom-up strategies, such as job crafting and playful work design (PWD). However, in the literature, there has not yet been a concern to understanding how these constructs are distinguished, how they distinguish themselves from other proactivity-related concepts (e.g., proactive personality), and how they relate to different work attitudes and behaviors, as well as job performance. This study contributed to adapting and validating a PWD measure for a Portuguese working sample. Also, it intended to differentiate the concepts of job crafting and PWD and observe how they relate to different work-related aspects (e.g., work engagement, job satisfaction, self-reported job performance, affective commitment, and emotional exhaustion). Data was collected through an online research protocol composed of self-reported measures and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The data collection resulted in 597 valid responses from Portuguese workers (68% females) aged 18 years or older (M=39.93; SD=12.68; Mdn=41). This research followed a quantitative method using a cross-sectional design and a non-probabilistic sampling technique. Data analysis techniques included descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), testing for factor, convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity, and reliability. Results showed that the Portuguese version of the PWD measure presented evidence of factor, convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity and of reliability. Thus, this measure can be considered accurate and precise for use in academic and professional settings; that is, organizations can foster an environment that appreciates and allows employees to feel more comfortable molding their work experience, either by engaging in tasks in their own way or by making them more fun. Furthermore, the study proved that there is enough evidence to affirm that PWD and job crafting are similar and are directly related to proactive personality but different when it comes to the effects of their dimensions on work-related aspects (e.g., increasing structural job resources and increasing challenging job demands, dimensions of job crafting, showed a higher correlation magnitude with work engagement than the dimensions of PWD). Therefore, they are different constructs.