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Amy Wrzesniewski is an organizational psychologist at New York University's prestigious Stern School of business. Among the most interesting results from Wrzesniewski’s research is the finding that many calling-orientation individuals naturally engage in making minor changes to the tasks and relations of their work. By taking initiative in small ways, job crafters perform on the job in a way that is meaningful to them and gives them an increased sense of purpose. Anyone can make their work more meaningful by modifying their tasks and relationships on the job.  There are several forms of job crafting:

	Changing the number, scope, or type of job tasks: People frequently improvise or otherwise change the nature of the tasks they complete while on the job. In some cases, office workers cre­ate more efficient or personally meaningful systems for orga­nizing paper work. In other cases, people water the plants of their coworkers who are on vacation without being asked. One man, who worked as a valet in an urban parking lot, spent his "down time" making improvements to the valet booth, ranging from replacing the uncomfortable stool to de­signing a color-coded system for organizing the car keys. When asked about this "extra work," the valet reported that he felt good about helping his fellow valets by making their job easier and more comfortable. You can suggest to your clients that they look for similar opportunities to make small but meaningful changes at work.
	Changing the quality and amount of interaction with others on the job: People frequently modify the quality or type of interaction they have while at work. Hairdressers, for example, often ask personal questions and make self-disclosures. In fact, this phe­nomenon is so common that we frequently think of conversa­tion as part of the hair-styling experience. In a study of hairdressers, it was observed that they sometimes punished clients who refused to disclose or "fired" clients to create more desirable interactions.' Similarly, conversational ability is nowhere to be found in most entry interviews for taxi drivers. And yet, taxi drivers frequently add social interaction to their basic job description to make their work more enjoyable. You can ask your clients about the quality of their social interac­tions at work, and strategize small ways to make them better.
	Changing cognitive task boundaries: This refers to the way in which people generally think about the work they do. Do they consider themselves engaged in a set of discrete tasks, such as preparing a report, or do they see the activities as making up a larger whole, such as helping to bring a superior product to market? Sales associates at an electronics store, for instance, may view their work as stocking and selling spe­cific equipment, such as computer accessories; or they can view their work in the context of educating the consumer about various merchandise options and helping customers select products that are appropriate to their needs. For those individuals who can make the leap and view their work in terms of a larger good, the result is a more satisfying life. Try paying attention to your client's language when she talks about her job. What does she see her job as being? Does she describe specific tasks or talk about work in terms of its general mission?

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