Facilitating acceptance of organizational change: The importance of self-determination

Self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 1987, 1991) proposes that int ernalization can be facilitated by supporting a person's autonomy. Autonomy support can be achieved using 3 means: giving a rationale for doing a task , offering some choice about how to do the task, and acknowledging feelings about the task. We examined the effects of these 3 factors on acceptance o f change in a work organization. Employees from a large Canadian telecommun ications company that was in the midst of profound transformation completed scales on 2 separate occasions. Cross-sectional and longitudinal results d emonstrated that the 3 factors Facilitated acceptance of organizational cha nge, with substantial effect sizes. Implications for successful organizatio nal transformation are discussed.