Fostering Workplace Belongingness through Job Crafting and Appreciative Leadership: Evidence from Pakistan Private Higher Education Institutes

Abstract

Workplace belongingness has never been an easy task in exerting in the employees’ minds. It entirely relies on the employees’ perception which builds from the perceived organization's support and workplace relations. If employees perceive this support is negligible then the sense of low belongingness, disengagement and turnover intention formed in their minds. The main aim of the study is to measure the effect of job crafting, appreciative leadership on workplace belongingness, as well as the mediating effect of affective commitment. Adapted questionnaire by conducting the face validity with 5-point Likert scale was used; random sampling technique was used to obtain the responses from the 40 faculty members in private universities of Pakistan. The study used cross-sectional design. The findings show that appreciative leadership has a positive effect on workplace belongingness and affective commitment. However, job crafting has insignificant effect on workplace belongingness, although, positive effect on affective commitment. Affective commitment has significant mediating effect between appreciative leadership, job crafting and workplace belongingness. For future study, organizational justice can be used to promote the workplace belongingness.