What does it actually mean when someone is 'not motivated' to change?
In most organizations, "not motivated" is a catch-all label that means "not doing what we asked." It sounds like a diagnosis but it is actually a dead end, because it implies the solution is to somehow increase motivation, usually through more communication, incentives, or pressure. None of these reliably work because they misunderstand what motivation is.
Motivation is not a fixed trait. It is a system.
It changes moment to moment based on what feels most important at the point of action. A person's willingness to exert effort toward a goal depends on the external environment (what is happening around them), their internal state (what they are thinking, feeling, and experiencing physically), and the competing priorities at that specific moment.
When an organization says someone is "not motivated," they are usually observing one of six specific misalignments. The change requires more effort than the current behavior (effort mismatch). The change feels professionally or personally risky (risk aversion). The change conflicts with how the person sees their role or identity (identity conflict). Peers are not doing it, making the person feel exposed (peer alignment). The person does not trust that the organization will follow through (trust deficit). The change conflicts with other role expectations (role conflict).
Each misalignment has different intervention implications. Effort mismatch responds to environmental redesign that reduces the effort of the new behavior. Risk aversion responds to psychological safety measures and visible examples of people who took the risk without negative consequences. Identity conflict responds to reframing the behavior in terms that align with the person's professional identity. Trust deficit responds to consistent follow-through on small commitments before asking for large ones.
Labeling someone "not motivated" is like saying a car "won't start." It describes the symptom. The diagnosis determines whether you need fuel, a battery, or a new engine.
