How Perceived Team Job Crafting Relates to Nurses' Thriving at Work: Indirect Associations Through Work Capital and Decent Work

AIM: This study examined associations between perceived team job crafting and nurses' thriving at work and the indirect associations involving work capital and decent work. BACKGROUND: Thriving at work reflects nurses' vitality and continued learning and is important for well-being and sustainable workforce development. Collaborative job redesign may help nurses obtain workplace resources, but the pathways linking perceived team job crafting with thriving at work remain unclear. DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used. METHODS: Registered nurses from tertiary hospitals in Taiyuan, China, were recruited through convenience sampling. Participants completed validated measures of perceived team job crafting, work capital, decent work, and thriving at work. Regression-based analysis with bootstrap resampling examined direct and serial indirect associations while accounting for relevant demographic characteristics. RESULTS: Higher perceived team job crafting was associated with greater work capital, stronger perceptions of decent work, and higher thriving at work. Work capital and decent work were each associated with thriving at work. The findings also supported an indirect association through work capital and decent work in sequence. CONCLUSION: Perceived team job crafting was associated with nurses' thriving at work both directly and indirectly through work capital and decent work. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify temporal relationships. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Nursing managers may consider creating conditions that support collaborative job redesign, professional resource development, fair treatment, and professional autonomy. These approaches require further evaluation before implementation. IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH POLICY: Health policies that support safe and fair working conditions, workforce development, and access to professional resources may help create environments in which nurses can thrive. Specific policy interventions should be evaluated before broader implementation.