Abstract
This article focuses on the role of justice and exemplarity perceptions on top executives' reactions to change. Drawing on extensive interview material from French top managers facing a requirement for change, the empirical analysis sheds light upon the importance of procedural justice and exemplarity in mitigating negative reactions to change. The empirical material suggests that procedural justice acts as a hygiene factor to prevent the change requirement being rejected as illegitimate, and that exemplarity acts as a motivator factor for top executives to enact the required change. These findings imply that special care should be dedicated to both procedural justice and exemplarity as key antecedents for change acceptance among top executives.