Job crafting and job satisfaction in the Italian local government

Growing digitalization is profoundly changing the work of public employees: jobs have remained constant over the years and are now quickly changing under the impact of the new technologies. Under such conditions, public servants may face difficulties in their job that hinder their motivation and performance. Under the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) meta-theoretical umbrella, this paper will investigate how the managers responsible for the digital transition engage in proactive work behaviour, namely in job crafting activities, to cope with the increasing pressure on their jobs caused by the continuous overlapping of public management reforms. On a sample of 444 respondents among the Italian Responsibles of Digital Transition, we will analyse the antecedents and the outcome of four dimensions of job crafting to provide an enhanced understanding of the micro-level processes that may support the implementation of institutional reforms, by highlighting how governmental institutions may support managerial agency.