Organizational Behaviour and Change Management: The Impact of Cognitive and Social Bias

Humans are social animals, and change is a social process. To understand this social process and explain the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours of individuals, knowledge of how the presence of others influences people is crucial. In this regard, bias is a concept with a lot of potential. Because cognitive and social biases influence human thinking, feelings, and behaviour, these provide insights and knowledge that are helpful, if not essential, for the field of organizational behaviour and change management. The preceding statements may seem obvious and self-evident, but practice as well as science show that they are neither. Organizational Behaviour and Change Management: The Impact of Cognitive and Social Bias aims at unleashing the potential of cognitive and social biases to develop a more effective change management theory and practice. To do so, we analysed and assessed thousands of scientific articles. The most prominent biases are structured by using a practical and comprehensible framework based on five core social motives (belonging, understanding, controlling, trusting, and self-enhancing). With its evidence-based, systematic, and integrative approach, this book provides scientists and practitioners in the field of organizational behaviour and change management with the best-available evidence, linking biases to organizational behaviour and change and further enriching the field of change management.

Cornell Vernooij, MSc, is a business consultant at TEN HAVE Change Management, the Netherlands. Organizational behaviour and change are the main focus in his work as a board room and organizational consultant. Biases form a dominant perspective in his efforts to better understand and change organizational behaviour. He currently leads the long-term team research project concerning biases and is working towards his PhD on biases at TEN HAVE Change Management in accordance with the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Judith Stuijt, MSc, is a business consultant at TEN HAVE Change Management, the Netherlands, with a background in social and organizational psychology.

Maarten Hendriks, MSc, LLM, is a business consultant at TEN HAVE Change Management, the Netherlands, with a background in organizational psychology and corporate law. He is currently working towards his PhD regarding the effects of social psychology in relation to corporate governance.

Wouter ten Have, PhD, is a full professor of organization and change at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands, member of two supervisory boards, and partner and consultant at TEN HAVE Change Management, the Netherlands.

Steven ten Have, PhD, is a full professor of strategy and change at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the former chairman of the Foundation for Evidence Based Management, and partner and consultant at TEN HAVE Change Management, the Netherlands.