Integrating implicit motives and emotional regulation literatures, we explored the relationship between multiple implicit motives (i.e., need for achievement, need for power, and need for affiliation), assessed by a semi-projective measure, and emotional regulation (surface vs. deep acting), contingent upon perceived organizational culture in service workers. Survey results from 420 Chinese flight attendants showed that the avoidance-oriented achievement (i.e., fear of failure) and affiliation motives (i.e., fear of rejection), relative to their approach-oriented counterparts (i.e., hope for success, hope of affiliation), were associated with higher levels of surface acting, but lower levels of deep acting. The approach-oriented power motive (i.e., need for power), relative to the avoidance-oriented power motive (i.e., fear of loss of power), was associated with a higher level of deep acting. Importantly, consistent across the three motives domains, perceived innovation organizational culture weakened the implicit motives-surface acting relationships. Finally, perceived organizational culture did not modify the effect of any domain of implicit motives on deep acting.