European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online) Vol.7, No.35, 2015 97 Self Determination and Employee Innovative Behaviour in the Nigerian Telecommunication Industry Jasmine Okponanabofa Tamunosiki-Amadi 1 Tamunosiki Dede 2 1.Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island Bayelsa, P.O.Box 8099 2.University of Port Harcourt, Choba Rivers State P.O. Box 8099 The research is financed by Tammy Amadi Abstract This study examined the relationship between Self Determination and Employee Innovative Behaviour. Using Cross Sectional Survey design, a sample size of 310 employees from the Telecommunication Industry in the South-South zone of Nigeria was used as respondents. The results drawn from the use of Spearman Rank Order Correlation showed that Self Determination had a significant positive relationship with idea generation and idea development, but weak significant relationship with idea implementation. This result suggest that an empowered employee with autonomy to alter work processes positively will no doubt lend his competence and skills to promoting new ideas in work organization as was observed in the telecommunication sector. Keywords: Self-determination, idea generation, idea development, idea implementation 1. Introduction In today’s turbulent business environment, all organizations are inevitably facing demands for both radical and incremental change. Moreover, globalization and increasing competition have however reinforced organizations need to constantly learn about new practices, procedures and technologies. In order to be able to cope with this continuous change, organization must design strategies to be innovative (Burgelman et al., 2004; Dasgupta & Gupta, 2009). Thus, the innovative behavior of employees is considered to represent an important competitive advantage for organizations,(Beckman & Barry, 2007). Through empowerment, organizations allow employees to assume several roles and responsibilities and thus exert a greater influence at work while enjoying increased autonomy (Pare & Tremblay, 2007). Task involvement through empowerment increases a greater sense of support and intrinsic motivation and provides positive work attitudes. 2. Literature Review 2.1. Self-Determination Self-determination is an individual's sense of having choice in initiating and regulating actions (Deci, Connell, & Ryan, 1989). Self-determination reflects autonomy in the initiation and continuation of work behaviors and processes; examples are making business decisions about work methods, pace, and effort (Bell & straw, 1989, Spector, 1986). Goals that are selected through self-determination are well-internalized and autonomous (Ryan, Huta & Deci, 2008). According to Ryan et al, (2008), one cannot be following one's true self and not be autonomous. Self-determination encompasses employees' sense of control over how their work is done. Staples (1990) argued that empowerment deals with the efforts of individuals and groups to increase their control. Deci, Connell and Ryan (1989) describe this as being able to initiate and regulate personal behavior. In other words, employees with self-determination have some control over what they will do, how much effort they will put in, and when they will start and stop Spector, (1986). Deci and Ryan's (2000) self-determination theory (SDT) is one of the most widely applied theories of intrinsic motivation (Gagne & Deci, 2005; Sheldon et al, 2003) self-determination theory seeks to explain what happens when people pursue a task or innovation with energy and devotion, in situations where there are no external rewards in operation. According to SDT, the "key to understanding intrinsic motivation is the person's cognitive evaluation of the rewards, pressures, and constraints within the (work) environment" (Sheldon et al, 2003). The crux of creating intrinsic motivation according to SDT is the experience of autonomy - a sense of volition that one's behavior is self-chosen or, "literally, self-authored or endorsed" (Ryan & Deci, 2000). This experience 'of autonomy can be generated by job characteristics, such as having control over aspects of one's work or increased latitude for decisions, but it is often most powerfully produced when people perceive that the work goals and objectives they are pursuing reflects their own deeply-held values and enduring interests (Sheldon & House-Marko, 2001; Sheldon et al, 2003). Drawings in part on earlier work by deCharm (1968), Deci and his colleagues have argued that individuals, because of their desire for certainty, are like actors seeking to exercise and validate a sense of control over their external environments. As a result, they are likely to enjoy, prefer, and persist at activities that provide them with opportunities to make choices, to control their own outcomes, and to determine their own fates (Condry & Chambers, 1978; Deci & Ryan, 2003; Robbins & Wilson, 2003; Lepper, 2006). Conversely, the