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Time to get “crafty” – 2022 is the time for Business Analysis Job Crafting! 

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Earlier this year, I reflected on how I took inspiration for 2022 from the 2021 Global State of Business Analysis webinar, hosted by IIBA in December. The value from the discussion though extends so much further than just my mantra for the year. The core of the webinar focused on the trends that Filip Hendrickx (IIBA Brussels Chapter), Yasser Talat (IIBA Egypt Chapter), and Susan Moore (IIBA Community Engagement Manager) observed in 2021. Specifically, we discussed the “Great Resignation,” the excess demand over supply to fill business analysis openings, evolving workforce expectations due to the pandemic, etc. Throughout the discussion, we continually came back to the concept of “job crafting.” Since that webinar, there has been renewed interest in the topic, and it seemed pertinent to highlight definitions, individual experiences, and additional resources. 

 

The concept of “job crafting” is definitely not a new one. In fact, the term was originated by organizational psychologists Amy Wrzesniewski and Jane E. Dutton in 2001. They stated: “Individuals engage in job crafting as a means to experience greater meaning at work, a positive work identity, better work-related well-being, and better job performance.” What I love about this concept is that job crafting is individually driven; and it emphasizes an individual’s ability to connect his/her/their work to greater meaning. When I asked our 2021 Volunteers of the Year (VOY) on their reflections, Georges Bryson echoed very much the same sentiment: “Be led by YOUR curiosity itch, but be driven by your passion.” 

If you dig into the concept further, you learn that job crafting is made up of three components: 

• Task Crafting – Task crafting involves changing the activities (in scope, size, duration, timing, etc.) related to your work. This is the definition that we all think of when we consider job crafting. In fact, Debbi Levin reflected on her own experiences and desires: “I went from being a Business Analyst as we implemented a new tool to becoming level 2/3 support and a system administrator. I would like to learn more skills such as data analysis because I enjoy writing reports.” 
   
  While task crafting is where we may see the most evident change as a result of job crafting, Catherine Moore warns in her article What is Job Crafting?, “job crafting shouldn’t be a means of changing up the job beyond recognition.” 
   
• Relational Crafting – The next two components are a little less recognized when it comes to the definition of job crafting, but, in my opinion, they are more important. The second component involves the relationship you have at / through work. How do you interact with others? With whom do you interact? Why do you interact? Your interactions with others play a large part in the aforementioned tasks, and they also influence the third component. 
   
• Cognitive Crafting – This third component, for me, is really the root, the impetus, for why individuals seek to job craft. Cognitive crafting focuses on your individual passions and how they correlate, materialize, and are supported by your work. Cognitive crafting is how you find meaning and connection to your work.

As a business analysis practitioner, you have a lot of options in front of you as you explore the next steps in your career. Both Georges and I recommend starting with IIBA’s Continuing Evolution of Business Analysis diagram. The diagram features the importance of having fundamental BA skills (central hub) and then illustrates the various career opportunities stemming from that origin - be it technical- or business-centric (spokes). In fact, it seems apparent in Yasser Talat’s experiences: “(For example) from my own experience in the market, the productization trends have led to the need for specific skills for Product Ownership and Product Management, and this resulted in leading many BAs to learn such skills in order to cope with market changes and develop their career path. I, myself, found it necessary for me to have deeper knowledge and develop my skills in Product Ownership and thus sought for the IIBA-CPOA certificate and acquired it just after it was announced by IIBA.” 

If you are interested in exploring this topic further – presentation, videos, quizzes, common pitfalls, etc. – please consider attending the IIBA Chicagoland Chapter meeting (March 2^nd) or the IIBA Northeast Wisconsin Chapter meeting (March 16^th). Remember – As an IIBA member, you may attend virtual meetings around the globe for free! 

Excellent job crafting references: 

• Job Crafting Tool, JCT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iawe3NM5cTY 
• Lovelock, Christina. “Job Crafting for BAs.” BA Times, July 28. 2021,  https://www.batimes.com/articles/job-crafting-for-bas/. 
• Moore, Catherine. “What is Job Crafting? (Incl. 5 Examples and Exercises).” PostivePsychology.com, August 12, 2021, https://positivepsychology.com/job-crafting/. 

Reminder: 2021 Volunteers of the Year: 

• Eastern Region: Georges Bryson - Montreal 
• West/Central Region: Debbi Levin - Phoenix  
• Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and India: Yasser Talat - Egypt 
• Europe Region: Claude Duc - Geneva  
   

Be Bold features members, volunteers, and Chapters who are taking bold action. If you have a story to tell or a recommendation for future inclusion, please feel free to reach out to communications.director@gcc.iiba.org. 

 

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