The real problem at work usually isn’t motivation. Alex Nunn explains what it is.

Many organisations believe motivation is the problem.

If only people were more motivated, took more initiative or became more engaged, things would run better. More energy. More creativity. More ownership.

But according to Alex Nunn, Strategy Director at Action for Happiness, the problem often lies somewhere else.

Not in a lack of motivation.

But in something more fundamental: a lack of belief that you can make a difference.

This may sound subtle, but the difference is significant. Because when people begin to feel that their contribution truly matters, something changes. They stop waiting. They take initiative. They try things. And those small actions can have a surprisingly large impact on a team or organisation, says Alex Nunn from Action for Happiness.

“People don’t lack motivation”

During The Big Happiness Congress on April 14 in Amsterdam, Alex Nunn shares an insight that many organisations may find both confronting and hopeful.

“Here’s what most organizations get wrong. People don’t lack motivation. They lack a sense that their actions matter.”

This sentence touches on something many people recognise at work. Not necessarily a lack of willingness. Not necessarily indifference. But the feeling that your idea, your initiative or your choice ultimately makes little difference.

And once that feeling settles in, the very things organisations are looking for often begin to disappear: engagement, creativity and momentum.

The real issue is agency

In psychology this is often described as agency: the feeling that you have influence over what happens and that your actions can make a difference.

According to Nunn, something has gone wrong with this in many workplaces. Not because people are incapable, but because they increasingly stop believing their actions matter.

“We’re not in a crisis of agency. We’re in a crisis of belief in agency.”

This distinction matters. Because if people believe their contribution won’t make any difference anyway, why would they take initiative? Why raise a difficult issue, suggest a new idea or try to improve something in their team?

What people believe is possible strongly shapes what they are willing to try.

“What you believe is possible has a huge influence on what you then try to do.”

Small actions can unlock big change

That is why Nunn does not advocate starting with grand gestures or complex transformation programmes. Quite the opposite.

His message is surprisingly practical: start small. Don’t wait until everything feels certain. Take a first step. Try something. See what happens.

“It’s much easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting.”

This idea is powerful because many professionals do exactly the opposite. They analyse first. Then analyse again. Discuss. Doubt. Think some more. While movement often only begins when someone actually does something.

According to Nunn, small actions can trigger a powerful chain reaction.

“By trying small things and taking small steps, you can create a cascade of motivation.”

What begins with one action – a conversation, an idea, an experiment – can grow into more trust, more initiative and eventually a stronger organisational culture.

Not everything is possible. But more than we think might be.

This does not mean every limitation exists only in our minds. Some barriers are real. Some systems are rigid. Some structures work against change.

That is exactly why Nunn’s perspective is interesting. He does not claim everything is possible. But he suggests organisations and individuals often assume too quickly that something cannot change.

And that is precisely where opportunity lies.

Not in blind optimism, but in the courage to examine more carefully what is truly fixed and what might still be moved.

This makes his perspective relevant for leaders, HR professionals and anyone working on culture change. Because when people start to feel again that their actions matter, behaviour changes. And so does the dynamic of the system they are part of.

From wellbeing to movement

Wellbeing at work is therefore not only about how people feel. It is also about what begins to move.

When people feel safe enough to try something, take responsibility and speak up, something emerges that many organisations say they want but struggle to activate.

Ownership.

Not because it is imposed from above, but because people experience from within that their contribution has value.

And perhaps that is exactly why this story resonates in a time when many organisations are searching for more engagement, more innovation and more humanity at work.

Maybe the solution lies less in trying to motivate people even more, and more in whether they still believe their actions can make a difference.

Interestingly, Alex Nunn adds a complementary perspective to the debate about happiness at work. While Nunn focuses on agency – the feeling that your actions matter – statistician and happiness expert Nic Marks shows what happens when people actually feel good at work.

His research suggests that happiness at work is not merely a pleasant byproduct but a powerful driver of performance. Teams who feel good at work reach their goals more often, experience less turnover and report fewer burnouts.

Read also: Happiness at Work: one of the strongest drivers of performance.

Alex Nunn at The Big Happiness Congress

On April 14 in Amsterdam, Alex Nunn will speak at The Big Happiness Congress, organised by Action for Happiness Netherlands.

Other speakers include Dr. Laurie Santos, Nic Marks, Sven Rickli, Tulku Lobsang Rinpoche and Niek van den Adel.

Anyone interested in building organisations where people take initiative, feel responsibility and work together toward meaningful goals may recognise something important in Alex’s message.

The real problem is often not motivation.

The real problem is that too many people no longer believe their actions make a difference.

Join us on April 14 at The Big Happiness Congress in Amsterdam and discover how organisations can make Happiness at Work concrete.