<p> Understanding how to foster change in local governments is crucial. Drawing on intergroup emotion theory, the paper explores the effects of organizational justice towards beneficiaries on organizational pride and its subsequent influence on employees’ readiness for change. Additionally, the paper examines whether employees’ prosocial motivations moderate the relationship between organizational justice towards beneficiaries and pride. Two empirical studies were conducted with local government employees in UK and France. The results aim to contribute to the understanding of the dynamics underlying change readiness, shedding light on the interplay between organizational justice, pride, and prosocial motivations in the context of public administrations.</p>