Perceived autonomy support, need satisfaction and burnout: A study of New Zealand leaders

Abstract or Summary

The rise in management research devoted to autonomy issues in organizations, places autonomy in the forefront of research on leadership. Self Determination Theory (SDT) asserts that autonomy supportive environments enhance wellbeing as evidenced by the satisfaction of basic psychological needs of competence, relatedness and autonomy. As such, autonomy supportive environments enhance wellbeing, and provide other positive outcomes, such as greater work engagement. The following study explores the outcomes of perceived autonomy support for 387 leaders within New Zealand. Findings show that there are significant beneficial implications for leader’s wellbeing when leaders report higher needs satisfaction and higher perceived autonomy support, all of which lead to lower job burnout (emotional exhaustion and cynicism). Furthermore, interactions showed additional benefits for those with higher autonomy support towards cynicism. Implications for organisations, with the current leadership crisis, suggest that when leaders view their work environments as supportive of autonomy, this leads to enhanced personal outcomes through reduced job burnout.