Motivation Isn't Enough to Drive Change

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After a career in construction and a focus on sustainability, Darren Evans shares insights into motivation, intent, and meaningful change, closely linked to behavioral science. He argues that in complex, high-stakes environments like the construction industry, behavior rarely fails because people don't care, but because the system makes the right behavior too hard to perform. Motivation collapses under pressure, and ability, not just motivation, is key to driving real change.

Why it matters

This article provides a behavioral science perspective on why sustainability initiatives often struggle to gain traction, even when people are highly motivated. It highlights the importance of designing systems and processes that make the desired behaviors easier to perform, rather than relying solely on increasing motivation.

The details

Darren Evans draws on the Fogg Behavior Model, which states that behavior happens when motivation, ability, and a prompt converge. When ability drops, motivation becomes irrelevant. Ability is about how easy a behavior is to perform in the moment, given time constraints, uncertainty, and competing demands. Cognitive load is the hidden risk, as systems routinely overload people's brains with multiple standards, conflicting guidance, and ambiguous accountability. More information adds cognitive load but does not increase ability. Ability-first design asks different questions, such as what decisions can be removed or automated, what can be made default, and what needs to happen earlier when capacity is higher.

• The article was published on March 16, 2026.

What’s next

The article does not mention any specific next steps, as it is focused on providing a broader perspective on the challenges of driving change through motivation alone.