Abstract

As a proactive strategy, playful work design allows employees to use ludic or agnostic play to handle hindrances or monotonous tasks. With the help of fun and competition design, they can even transform those tasks into productive work experiences. Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources theory, we analyzed the psychometric properties of the playful work design scale in three studies to adapt and validate the scale for the Romanian population. In the first study, the confirmatory factor analysis results indicated that the two-factor model based on 12 items has a good value of the fit indices. The second study cross-validated the instrument with other constructs that measured playfulness, personal initiative, meaning-making, task complexity, task monotony, flow at work, engagement, and performance. The third study consisted of a longitudinal invariance analysis on the Romanian version of the playful work design scale applied at two different moments. Altogether, the results demonstrate the validity of the Romanian version of this scale, which can be used in organizations to evaluate playful work design as a proactive individual strategy.