To adjust or not to adjust? The explanatory mechanism of career growth opportunities on career crafting

Abstract The fourth industrial revolution brings opportunities and challenges to career management for employers and employees. This study investigates employees' career crafting in preparation for the automation and transformation triggered by the fourth industrial revolution. Built on career construction theory, the purpose of this study is to investigate the explanatory mechanism and boundary condition of career growth opportunities on career crafting. Through an online questionnaire platform, 322 valid questionnaires were collected in mainland China with convenience sampling. The results indicate that career growth opportunities have a direct and indirect (via organization‐based self‐esteem) positive impact on career crafting. These effects are stronger among employees with higher levels (vs. lower) of perceived environmental dynamism. By investigating the relationship between career growth opportunities and career crafting in the dynamic context, this study sheds new light on this vital issue overlooked in previous proactive behavioural research fields. Based on career construction theory, the mediator and boundary conditions of this mechanism were also explicated. This study assists employers in helping employees identify opportunities in their careers and plan their careers better to prepare for industrial transformation and dynamic environments.