🥕 Beyond Carrots and Sticks: What Actually Motivates Change in the workplace
- Amber Gagnuss
- May 1
- 2 min read
We’ve all heard it: “We just need to get the people on board.” But here’s the truth - if change feels stuck, it’s probably not just a motivation issue. It’s perspective. Most organisations are full of smart, capable people. Yet they fall into the same traps: confirmation bias, groupthink, and internal blind spots that reinforce the very systems they’re trying to shift. So, what’s missing? an external point of view. Someone who can spot what insiders can’t. Someone who’s seen this before and knows the difference between surface-level fixes and real transformation. Someone who has a zillion years experience and can motivate change in the workplace with their eyes closed.
👁️🗨️ Seeing What We Can’t: Why External Eyes Matter to motivate change in the workplace
Humans are wired to seek information that confirms their current beliefs (Nickerson, 1998). In organisational settings, this confirmation bias reinforces the status quo. Similarly, groupthink (Janis, 1972) leads teams to avoid dissent and overvalue harmony—often at the expense of innovation or urgent transformation. External consultants or change agents bring fresh, unbiased eyes. They haven’t been steeped in the internal politics or “we’ve always done it this way” culture. Their value lies in:
Diagnosing unseen problems
Offering tested frameworks and tools
Bringing credibility and neutrality to uncomfortable truths
"When you’re in the frame, you can’t see the picture.” Les Brown
🔧 The Toolbox: What Change Management Professionals Bring
Experienced change management professionals don’t just provide insight, they offer:
Proven change frameworks (ADKAR, Kotter, Bridges, etc.)
Diagnostic tools for readiness, resistance, and alignment
Coaching techniques grounded in behavioural science
Credibility and confidence to challenge ingrained habits
An outsider's objectivity can foster psychological safety - a vital condition for change to take root (Edmondson, 1999).
🧲 Motivation that Sticks: Beyond Carrot and Stick
Classic motivation tactics referred to as “the carrot and the stick” (bonuses, penalties, and praise) can work, but only temporarily. Research shows these extrinsic motivators lose impact once removed, often leading to lower motivation than baseline before the carrot or stick was introduced (Deci, Koestner, & Ryan, 1999). Instead, the strongest drivers of change come from intrinsic motivation which is when people:
Feel competent and in control
Understand the "why" behind change
Connect it to values or identity
Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) outlines three pillars of sustainable motivation:
Autonomy – Having choice in how to respond
Competence – Feeling capable and supported
Relatedness – Feeling connected to others in the effort
An external consultant or facilitator will help to unlock these conditions, aligning the change process with what truly motivates people over the long term.
🚪 The Outside Advantage
Change doesn’t fail because people are lazy or resistant. It fails because we underestimate how powerful (and invisible) our defaults are. We design change from the inside… and wonder why it doesn't land. Bringing in an external perspective isn’t about outsourcing your culture. It’s about disrupting the patterns you can’t see from within, and unlocking motivation that actually sticks. Sometimes, the most strategic move isn’t trying harder - it’s asking for a clearer view.
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