The current research aimed to investigate the association between the variables under the study, that is, ‘the vitamin model’ features of a job: job crafting, work engagement, and psychological empowerment. It also attempted to analyze the serial mediational role of the two causally linked mediators, that is, job crafting and work engagement with the job features of the vitamin model and psychological empowerment. By investigating these variables, we tried to explore how the employees redesigned the well-defined jobs to match their capabilities, which enhanced commitment to work and led to positive behavioral outcomes, such as empowerment, work meaningfulness, and improved performance. Primary data were collected from 453 knowledge workers in the information technology (IT) and information technology-enabled services (ITES) industry. Using SPSS software, the correlation method revealed significant positive correlations between the variables under study. PROCESS macro (Haynes, 2012) was applied in SPSS AMOS regression-based path coefficients and bootstrap confidence intervals at a 95% confidence level. As the bootstrap confidence intervals did not include zero, a significant mediational role of the serial mediators was observed between the relationship of features in the vitamin model and psychological empowerment [Estimate =.0761, 95% CI (.0257, .1902)]. So, it could be concluded that job crafting made the employees the mechanic of their vehicle (work), leading to work engagement, increased performance, and psychological well-being at the workplace.

1. Afroz, S., & Haque, M. I. (2021). Demographic characteristics and turnover intention : A study of Indian BPOs. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 14(1), 44–60. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2021/v14i1/157063
2. Agrawal, A. (2019). Management perceptions of the impact of quality of work life on organizational performance. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 12(8), 32–45. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2019/v12i8/146413
3. Bakker, A. B., Tims, M., & Derks, D. (2012). Proactive personality and job performance: The role of job crafting and work engagement. Human Relations, 65(10), 1359–1378. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726712453471
4. Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107(2), 238–246. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.107.2.238
5. Bollen, K. A. (1989). A new incremental fit index for general structural equation models. Sociological Methods & Research, 17(3), 303–316. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124189017003004
6. Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1992). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. Sociological Methods & Research, 21(2), 230 – 258. https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124192021002005
7. Carmines, E. G., & Zeller, R. A. (1979). Introduction. In, Reliability and validity assessment (pp. 9–16). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412985642.n1
8. Charkhabi, M. (2018). Do cognitive appraisals moderate the link between qualitative job insecurity and psychological-behavioral well-being? International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 11(6), 424–441. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijwhm-01-2018-0008
9. Chen, C.-F., Yilmaz, S., Pisello, A. L., De Simone, M., Kim, A., Hong, T., Bandurski, K., Bavaresco, M. V., Liu, P.-L., & Zhu, Y. (2020). The impacts of building characteristics, social psychological and cultural factors on indoor environment quality productivity belief. Building and Environment, 185, Article 107189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107189
10. Chin, W. W. (1998). The partial least squares approach for structural equation modeling. In G. A. Marcoulides (ed.), Modern methods for business research (pp. 295–336). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
11. Dambrun, M. (2017). Self-centeredness and selflessness: Happiness correlates and mediating psychological processes. PeerJ, 5, Article e3306. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3306
12. Duarte, P. A., & Raposo, M. L. (2010). A PLS model to study brand preference: An application to the mobile phone market. In, V. Esposito Vinzi, W. Chin, J. Henseler, & H. Wang (eds.), Handbook of partial least squares. Springer handbooks of computational statistics (pp. 449–485). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-32827-8_21
13. Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
14. Galton, F. (1888). Personal identification and description. Nature, 38(1), 173–177.
15. Ghasemy, M., Alvani, S. R., Lim, A. B., Cepeda-Carrion, I. F., & Cepeda-Carrion, G. (2021). Is job satisfaction of social sciences scholars predicted by emotions, job performance, work events, and workplace features? A demonstration of a data-driven policy-making approach. Higher Education Policy, 34, 902–927. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-019-00172-y
16. Gordon, H. J., Demerouti, E., Le Blanc, P. M., Bakker, A. B., Bipp, T., & Verhagan M. A. (2018). Individual job redesign: Job crafting interventions in healthcare. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 104, 98–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2017.07.002
17. Götz, O., Liehr-Gobbers, K., & Krafft, M. (2010). Evaluation of structural equation models using the partial least squares (PLS) approach. In, V. Esposito Vinzi, W. Chin, J. Henseler, & H. Wang (eds.), Handbook of partial least squares. Springer handbooks of computational statistics (pp. 691–711). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-32827-8_30
18. Graceshia Adiarani, P. (2019). The effects of job characteristics on work engagement. Russian Journal of Agricultural and Socio-Economic Sciences, 85(1), 475 – 479.
19. Guan, X., & Frenkel, S. (2018). How HR practice, work engagement and job crafting influence employee performance. Chinese Management Studies, 12(3), 591–607.
20. https://doi.org/10.1108/CMS-11-2017-0328
21. Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16(2), 250–279.
22. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(76)90016-7
23. Hair Jr., J. F., Sarstedt, M., Hopkins, L., & Kuppelwieser, V. G. (2014). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM): An emerging tool in business research. European Business Review, 26(2), 106–121. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-10-2013-0128
24. Haynes, A. F. (2012). PROCESS : A versatile computational tool for observed variable mediation, moderation, and conditional process modeling 1. http://www.afhayes.com/ public/process2012.pdf
25. Hulland, J. (1999). Use of partial least squares (PLS) in strategic management research: A review of four recent studies. Strategic Management Journal, 20(2), 195–204. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199902)20:2<195::AID-SMJ13>3.0.CO;2-7
26. Hulshof, I. L., Demerouti, E., & Le Blanc, P. M. (2020). Providing services during times of change: Can employees maintain their levels of empowerment, work engagement and service quality through a job crafting intervention? Frontiers in Psychology, 11(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00087
27. Jnaneswar, K. (2019). Can work engagement and job satisfaction predict employee innovation? Case of Indian telecom employees. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 12(10), 7–19. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2019/v12i10/147813
28. Johnson, J. V., & Hall, E. M. (1988). Job strain, work place social support, and cardiovascular disease: A cross-sectional study of a random sample of the Swedish working population. American Journal of Public Health, 78(10), 1336–1342. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.78.10.1336
29. Khan, W. A. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal, 33(4), 692–724. http://doi.org/10.2307/256287
30. Kim, G.-N., & Lee, Y.-M. (2016). Towards high performance organisation: The impacts of job characteristics and job crafting. International Journal of u- and e-Service, Science and Technology, 9(2), 85–100. https://dx.doi.org/10.14257/ijunesst.2016.9.2.10
31. Kim, W. (2014). An examination of work engagement in selected major organisations in Korea: Its role as a mediator between antecedents and consequences (Doctoral Dissertation). https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/files/final_submissions/9386
32. Kumar, G. V., & Valarmathi, B. (2022). Job crafting : A systematic review and meta-analytical relationships with precursors and work outcomes (2001 – 2021). Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 15(1), 40 – 52. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2022/v15i1/167860
33. Marsh, H. W., & Hocevar, D. (1985). Application of confirmatory factor analysis to the study of self-concept : First- and higher order factor models and their invariance across groups. Psychological Bulletin, 97(3), 562 – 582. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.97.3.562
34. Meng, Q., & Sun, F. (2019). The impact of psychological empowerment on work engagement among university faculty members in China. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 12, 983–990. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S215912
35. Mishra, U. S., Patnaik, S., & Mishra, B. B. (2016). Role of optimism on employee performance and job satisfaction. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 9(6), 35–46. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2016/v9i6/94960
36. NASSCOM. (n.d.). Strategic review 2016 - The IT-BPM sector in India. https://nasscom.in/knowledge-centre/facts-figures
37. Naudé, W. (2010). Entrepreneurship, developing countries, and development economics: New approaches and insights. Small Business Economics, 34, Article 1. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-009-9198-2
38. Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory. McGraw - Hill.
39. Pearson, K., & Lee, A. (1903). On the laws of inheritance in man: I. Inheritance of physical characters. Biometrika, 2(4), 357– 462. https://doi.org/10.2307/2331507
40. Peral, S., & Geldenhuys, M. (2020). The indirect relationship between personality and performance through job crafting behaviour. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 46, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v46i0.1715
41. Pinzone, M., Guerci, M., Lettieri, E., & Huisingh, D. (2019). Effects of 'green' training on pro-environmental behaviors and job satisfaction: Evidence from the Italian healthcare sector. Journal of Cleaner Production, 226, 221 – 232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.048
42. Ramaprasad, B. S., Rao, S., & Nandan Prabhu, K. P. (2020). Commitment profiles and voluntary turnover intentions : An empirical assessment of “two-faces” conceptualization of normative commitment. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 13(5–7), 7–25.
43. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2020/v13i5-7/153078
44. Roczniewska, M., Rogala, A., Puchalska-Kaminska, M., Cieślak, R., & Retowski, S. (2020). I believe I can craft! introducing job crafting self-efficacy scale (JCSES). PLoS ONE, 15(8), Article e0237250. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237250
45. Scanlan, J. N., & Hazelton, T. (2019). Relationships between job satisfaction, burnout, professional identity and meaningfulness of work activities for occupational therapists working in mental health. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 66(5), 581–590. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12596
46. Schaufeli, W., & Salanova, M. (2011). Work engagement: On how to better catch a slippery concept. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 20(1), 39–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2010.515981
47. Shantz, A., Alfes, K., Truss, C., & Soane, E. (2013). The role of employee engagement in the relationship between job design and task performance, citizenship and deviant behaviours. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(13), 2608–2627. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2012.744334
48. Spreitzer, G. M. (1995). Psychological empowerment in the workplace: Dimensions, measurement, and validation. Academy of Management Journal, 38(5), 1442–1465. https://doi.org/10.2307/256865
49. Sudhindra, S., Vasanth Kumar, G., & Valarmathi, B. (2020). Work-life balance among women Anganwadi workers in Bengaluru. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 13(3), 20–34. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2020/v13i3/151177
50. Thriveni Kumari, K. (2020). Effect of professional attributes on professional - life conflict : Gender as a moderator in the Indian IT industry. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 13(1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2020/v13i1/149946
51. Urbanaviciute, I., Lazauskaite-Zabielske, J., Vander Elst, T., & De Witte, H. (2018). Qualitative job insecurity and turnover intention: The mediating role of basic psychological needs in public and private sectors. Career Development International, 23(3), 274–290. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-07-2017-0117
52. Van Wingerden, J., & Poell, R. F. (2017). Employees' perceived opportunities to craft and in-role performance: The mediating role of job crafting and work engagement. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, Article 1876. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01876
53. Warr, P. (1987). Work, unemployment, and mental health. Oxford University Press.
54. Warr, P. (1999). Well-being and the workplace. In D. Kahneman, E. Diener, & N. Schwarz (eds.), Well-being: The foundations of hedonic psychology (pp. 392 – 412). Russell Sage Foundation.
55. Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2001). Crafting a job: Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. The Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 179–201. https://doi.org/10.2307/259118
56. Yao, Q., Chen, R., & Cai, G. (2013). How internal marketing can cultivate psychological empowerment and enhance employee performance. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 41(4), 529–537. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2013.41.4.529
57. Yildiz, B., & Elibol, E. (2021). Turnover intention linking compulsory citizenship behaviours to social loafing in nurses: A mediation analysis. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(4), 653–663. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13200
58. Yungui, G., & Yanting, Z. (2019). Psychological detachment and research performance: Work engagement as a mediator. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 47(10), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.8277
59. Zahed-Babelan, A., Koulaei, G., Moeinikia, M., & Sharif, A. R. (2019). Instructional leadership effects on teachers' work engagement: Roles of school culture, empowerment, and job characteristics. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 9(3), 137–156. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.181