The purposes of this study are to investigate the factors affecting job satisfaction, identification commitment, creativity and knowledge sharing as job outcomes; explore the roles of autonomy support as well as the individual differences (general causality orientation and self-determined work motivation) in understanding job outcomes, which has been still ignored in the literature. In addition, this current study would like to assess whether general causality orientation predicts self-determined work motivation and job outcomes in interaction with the working environmental variables, such as managerial autonomy support; as well as the direct effect of the last on job outcomes. Finally, the mediating roles of relative autonomy index on the relationship between general causality orientation and job outcomes and on the relationship between managerial autonomy support and job outcomes were also explored.
252 questionnaires from both managers and employees in Vietnamese business companies were used for the thesis investigation. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the relationships in the model. The empirical results show that autonomy orientation has positive effect on self-determined work motivation, which leads to positive job outcomes; whereas control orientation has negative effect. Managerial autonomy support is not related to self-determined work motivation. However, it is found that managerial autonomy support makes a significant distribution toward promoting employees’ job outcomes and helping the controlled-oriented employees to actively transform the supported autonomy value into their own, which improves job outcomes in the workplace.

Alderfer, C. P. (1972). Existence, relatedness, and growth: Human needs in organizational settings. New York Free Press.
Amabile, T. (1983). The social psychology of creativity: A componential conceptualization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 357-376.
Amabile, T. (1983b). The social psychology of creativity Spinger-Verlag.
Amabile, T. (1988). A model of creativity and innovation in organizaitons (Staw BM, Cummings LL ed. Vol. 10).
Amabile, T. M., Conti, R., Coon, H., Lazenby, J., & Herron, M. (1996). Assessing the work environment for creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 39, 1154-1184.
Amabile, T. M., & Gitomer, J. (1984). Children's artistic creativity: Effects of choice in task materials. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 10, 209-215.
Argote, L., & Ingram, P. (2000). Knowledge transfer: A basis for competitive advantage in firms. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 82, 150-169.
Argote, L., McEvily, B., & Reagans, R. (2003). Managing knowledge in organizations: An integrative framework and review of emerging themes. Management Science, 494(571-582).
Baard, P. P., Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2004). Intrinsic need satisfaction: A motivational basis of performance and well-being in two work settings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 34(10), 2045-2068.
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173-1182.
Birdi, K. S., Warr, P. B., & Oswald, A. (1995). Age differences in three components of employee well-being Applied Psychology, 82, 845-857.
Black, A. E., & Deci, E. L. (2000). The effects of instructor's autonomy support and students' perspective. Science Education 84, 740-756.
Blais, M. R., & Briere, N. M. (2002). On the mediational role of feelings of self-determination in the workplace: Further evidence and generalization. Centre Interuniversitaire de Recherche en Analyse des Organizations, 39.
Boggiano, A. K., & Ruble, D. N. (1979). Competence and the overjustification effect: A developmental study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37(1462-1468).
Bolino, M. C. (1999). Citizenship and impression management: Good soldiers or good actors? Academy of Management Review, 24(1), 82-98.
Bono, J. E., & Judge, T. A. (2003). Self-concordiance at work: understanding the motivational effects of transformational leaders. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 554-571.
Brayfield, A. H., & Rothe, H. F. (1951). An index of job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 35, 307-311.
Bryman, A., & Cramer, D. (1999). Quantitative data analysis with SPSS release 8 for windows: a guide for social scientists. Routledge.
Butler, G., & Vodanovich, S. J. (1992). The relationship between work values and normative and instrumental commitment. Journal of Psychology, 126, 139-146.
Cabrera, A., Collins, W. C., & Salgado, J. F. (2006). Determinants of individual engagement in knowledge sharing. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 17(2), 245-264.
Castro, C. B., Marmario, E. M., & Ruiz, D. M. (2004). The influence of employee organizational citizenship behavior on customer loyalty. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 15(1), 27-53.
Cheung, C., & Scherling, S. A. (1999). Job satisfaction, work values, and sex differences in Taiwan's organizations. Journal of Psychology, 133, 563-575.
DeCharms, R. (1968). Personal causation: The internal affective determinants of behavior. Academic Press.
Deci, E. L. (1972). The effects of contingent and non-contingent rewards and controls on intrinsic motivation. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 8, 217-229.
Deci, E. L. (1980). The psychology of self-determination Lexington, MA: Health (Lexington Books).
Deci, E. L., Connell, J. P., & Ryan, R. M. (1989a). Self-determination in a work organization. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, 580-590.
Deci, E. L., Connell, J. P., & Ryan, R. M. (1989b). Self-determination in a work organization. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74(580-590).
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). The general causality orientations scale: Self-determination in personality. Journal of research in personality, 19, 109-134.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985a). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Plenum Press.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1987). The support of autonomy and the control of behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53(6), 1024-1037.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1996). Need satisfaction and self-regulation of learning. Learning & Individual Differences, 8(3), 165-183.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "what" and the "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227-268.
Deci, E. L., Ryan, R. M., Gagne, M., Leone, D., Usunov, J., & Kornazheva, B. P. (2001). Need satisfaction, motivation, and well-being in the work organizations of a former eastern bloc country. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27(930-942).
Deci, E. L., Schwartz, A. J., Sheinman, L., & Ryan, R. M. (1981). An instrument to assess adult's orientations toward control versus autonomy with children: Reflections on intrinsic motivation and perceived competence. Journal of Educational Psychology, 73, 642-650.
Downey, H. K., Sheridan, J. E., & Slocum, J. W., Jr. (1975). An analysis of relationships among leader behavior, subordinate job performance and satisfaction: A path goal approach. Academy of Management Journal, 18, 253-262.
Drummond, R. J., & Stoddard, A. (1991). Job satisfaction and work values. Psychological Reports, 69, 116-118.
Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2002). Motivational beliefs, values and goals. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 109-132.
Ettlie, J., & Okeefe, R. (1982). Innovative attitudes, values, and intentions in organizations. Journal of Management Studies, 19, 163-182.
Ford, C. (1996). A theory of individual creative action in multiple social domains. Academy of Management Review, 1, 1112-1142.
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18, 39-50.
Gagne, M. (2003). The role of autonomy support and autonomy orientation in prosocial behavior engagement. Motivation and Emotion, 27(3), 199-223.
Gagne, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26, 331-362.
Gagne, M., & Koestner, R. (2002). Self-determination theory as a framework for understanding organizational commitment. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Toronto, Canada.
Gagne, M., Koestner, R., & Martens, M. (2004). How work motivation is related to organizational commitment: a series of organizational studies. Manuscript, Concordia University.
Gagne, M., Koestner, R., & Zuckerman, M. (2000). Facilitating the acceptance of organizational change: The importance of self-determination. Journal of Applied Psychology, 30, 1843-1852.
Grolnick, W. S., & Ryan, R. M. (1989). Parent styles associated with children's self-regulation and competence in school. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 143-154.
Gruneberg, M. M. (1979). Understanding job satisfaction New York John Wiley.
Hair, J. J., Black, Barbin, B. J., Andersion, R. E., & Tatham, R. L. (2006). Multivariate data analysis.
Harackiewicz, J. (1979). The effects of reward contingency and performance feedback on intrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 1352-1363.
Harigopal, K., & Kumar, R. R. (1982). Company satisfaction among managers: A prediction. Managerial Psychology, 3, 69-75.
Herzberg, F. (1959). The motivation to work. New York, John Wiley and Sons.
Illardi, B. C., Leone, D., Kasser, T., & Ryan, R. M. (1993). Employee and supervisor ratings of motivation: Main effects and discrepancies associated with job satisfaction and adjustment in a factory setting. Journal of Applied Psychology, 23, 1789-1905.
Inkpen, A., & Tsang, E. W. K. (2005). Social capital, networks, and knowledge transfer. Academy of Management Review, 30(1), 146-165.
Jae-Nam, L. (2000). The impact of knowledge sharing, organizational capacity and partnership quality on IS outsourcing success. Information & Management, 38 (2001)(323-335).
Jones, M. R. (1955). Nebraska Symposium on Motivation. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
Keaveney, S. M., & Nelson, J. E. (1993). Coping with organizational role stress: Intrinsic motivational orientation, perceived role benefits, and psychological withdrawal. Journal of Academic of Marketing Science, 21, 113-124.
King, N., & West, M. A. (1985). Experiences of innovation at work. University of Sheffield, Sheffield, SAPU Memo(772).
Knippenberg, D. V., & Sleebos, E. (2006). Organizational identification versus organization commitment: Self-definition, social exchange, and job attitudes. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27(571-584).
Koestner, R., Bernieri, F., & Zuckerman, M. (1992). Self-determination and consistency between attitudes, traits, and behaviors. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, 52-59.
Koestner, R., Ryan, R. M., Bernieri, F., & Holt, K. (1984). Setting limits on children's behavior: The diffential effects of controlling versus informational styles on intrinsic motivation and creativity. Journal of Personality, 52, 233-248.
Kuhl, J., & Fuhrmann, A. (1998). Decomposing self-regulation and self-control. In J. Heckhausen & C. Dwechk (Eds.), Motivation and self-regulation across the life-span, 15-49.
Lam, C. F., & Gurland, S. T. (2008). Self-determined work motivation predicts job outcomes, but what predicts self-determined work motivation? Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 1109-1115.
Lepper, M. R., & Greene, D. (1975). Turning play into work: Effects of adult surveillance and extrinsic rewards on children's intrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31, 479-486.
Linnenbrick, E. A., & Pintrich, P. R. (2002). Motivation as an enabler for academic success. School Psychology Review, 31(3), 313-327.
Locke, E. A. (1976). The nature and cause of job satisfaction (M. D. Dunnette ed.). Chicago: Rand McNally.
Lynch, M. F., Plant, R., Jr, & Ryan, R. M. (2005). Psychological need satisfaction, motivation, attitudes, and well-being among psychiatric hospital staff and patients. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 36, 415-425.
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 2, 99-113.
Maslow, A. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review 50(4), 370-396.
McClelland, D. C. (1961). Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand.
McGregor, D. (2002). Theory X and Theory Y. 81, 1, 32.
O'Reilly, C., & Chatman, J. (1986). Organization commitment and psychological attachment: the effects of compliance, identification, and internalizational on prosocial behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71, 492-499.
Ormrod, J. E. (2004). In Human learning (4 ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
Palmela. (1999). An examination of leadership and employee creativity: the relevance of traits and relationship. Personal Psychology, 52.
Payne, R. L., Fineman, S., & Wall, T. D. (1976). Organizational climate and job satisfaction: A conceptual synthesis. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16, 45-62.
Rainey, H. G., & Steinbauer, P. (1999). Galloping elephants: Developing elements of a theory of effective government organizations. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 9(1), 1-32.
Ryan, R. M., & Connell, J. P. (1989). Perceived locus of causality and internalization: Examining reasons for acting in two domains. Journal of Personality and Socia Psychology, 57, 749-761.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000a). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000b). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educaitonal Psychology, 25, 54-67.
Schaufeli, W., Maslach, C., & Marek, T. (1993). Professional burn-out: Recent developments in theory and practice [Electronic Version]. Taylor & Francis,
Schneider, B., Hall, D. T., & Nygren, H. T. (1974). Self-image and job characteristics as correlates of change in organizational identifcation. Human Relations, 24, 397-416.
Schuler, R. S. (1979 ). A role perception transactional process model for organizational communication-outcome relationships. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 23, 268-291.
Sheldon, K. M. (1971). Investments and involvements as mechanisms producing commiment to the organization. Administrative Science Quarterly, 16, 142-150.
Sheldon, K. M., & Kasser, T. (2001). Goals, congruence, and positive well-being: New empirical support for humanistic theories. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 41, 30-50.
Sheldon, K. M., Turban, D. B., Brown, K. G., Barrick, M. R., & Judge, T. A. (2003). Applying self-determination theory to organizational research. Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 22, 357-393.
Spreitzer, G. M. (1995). Psychological empowerment in the workplace: dimensions, measurement, and validation. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 1442-1465.
Suliman, A., & T., M. (2002). Is it really a mediating construct? The mediating role of organizational commitment in work climate-performance relationship. Journal of Management Development, 21(3), 170-183.
Sverko, B. (1999). The work importance study: Recent changes of values in Croatia. Applied Psychology: An Internaional Review, 48, 89-102.
Thomas, K. W., & Velthouse, B. A. (1990). Cognitive elements of empowerment: an 'interpretive' model of intrinsic task motivation. Academy of Management Review, 15, 666-681.
Vallerand, R. J. (1997). Toward a hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology 29, 271-360.
Van de Velde, M. E. G., Feji, J. A., & Van Emmerik, H. (1998). Change in work values and norms among Dutch young adults: Aging or societal trends? International Journal of Behavioral Development, 2, 55-76.
Vansteeenkiste, M., Simons, J., Lens, W., Sheldon, K. M., & Deci, E. L. (2004). Motivating learning, performance, and persistence: The synergistic effects of intrinsic goal contents and autonomy supportive contexts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87(2), 246-260.
Warr, P. B. (1992). Age and occupational well-being. Psychology and Aging, 7, 37-45.
Woodman, R., Sawyer, J., & Griffin, R. (1993). Ibward a theory of organizational creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 18, 293-321.