Resources

The Minds Shaping Decision Science

How some of the world's most influential thinkers in behavioural science, economics, and psychology got there — and how their work informs ours.

DK

Daniel Kahneman

Behavioural Economics / Cognitive Psychology

Prospect Theory, dual-process theory (System 1 & 2), heuristics and biases research programme. Demonstrated that human judgment systematically departs from rationality.

Key Work: Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011)Recognition: Nobel Prize in Economics, 2002

BIA Application: Foundation of BIA's diagnostic framework — mapping System 1 vs System 2 decisions in organisations.

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Richard Thaler

Behavioural Economics

Nudge theory, libertarian paternalism, mental accounting, endowment effect. Bridged behavioural science with public policy and choice architecture.

Key Work: Nudge (2008, with Cass Sunstein)Recognition: Nobel Prize in Economics, 2017

BIA Application: Core to BIA's choice architecture methodology — designing defaults that make better behaviour the easy choice.

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Cass Sunstein

Law / Behavioural Policy

Choice architecture, regulatory nudging, cost-benefit analysis. Co-developed the intellectual framework for behavioural policy design.

Key Work: Nudge (2008, with Richard Thaler)Recognition: Former Administrator, White House OIRA

BIA Application: Informs BIA's approach to policy and public behaviour interventions.

RC

Robert Cialdini

Social Psychology

Six principles of persuasion: reciprocity, commitment, social proof, authority, liking, scarcity. Later added unity as a seventh principle.

Key Work: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (1984)Recognition: Regents' Professor Emeritus, Arizona State University

BIA Application: Applied across BIA's customer experience and marketing behavioural consulting.

DA

Dan Ariely

Behavioural Economics

Demonstrated the systematic, predictable nature of irrational behaviour. Research on dishonesty, the pain of paying, and the effect of expectations on experience.

Key Work: Predictably Irrational (2008)Recognition: James B. Duke Professor, Duke University

BIA Application: Underpins BIA's work on pricing psychology and consumer decision architecture.

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Amos Tversky

Cognitive Psychology

Co-developed prospect theory, anchoring, availability heuristic, and representativeness heuristic with Kahneman. Transformed understanding of human judgment.

Key Work: Judgment Under Uncertainty (1974, with Kahneman)Recognition: MacArthur Fellow; posthumous recognition via Kahneman's Nobel

BIA Application: Foundational to every BIA bias audit and decision-quality assessment.

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BJ Fogg

Behaviour Design

Fogg Behaviour Model (B = MAP): Behaviour occurs when Motivation, Ability, and a Prompt converge. Founded the field of behaviour design.

Key Work: Tiny Habits (2019)Recognition: Founder, Stanford Behavior Design Lab

BIA Application: Core model for BIA's behaviour design interventions — mapping triggers, ability, and motivation.

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Susan Michie

Health Psychology / Behaviour Change

COM-B model and Behaviour Change Wheel — a systematic framework for diagnosing behaviour and selecting interventions.

Key Work: The Behaviour Change Wheel (2011)Recognition: Professor, UCL; Director, Centre for Behaviour Change

BIA Application: Used in BIA's health and wellbeing consulting engagements.

NNT

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Risk & Uncertainty

Black Swan theory, antifragility, and the critique of predictive models. Showed that rare, high-impact events dominate outcomes.

Key Work: The Black Swan (2007); Fooled by Randomness (2001)Recognition: Distinguished Professor, NYU Tandon

BIA Application: Informs BIA's risk assessment methodology and stress-testing of behavioural interventions.

JH

Jonathan Haidt

Moral Psychology

Moral Foundations Theory — identified six innate moral foundations that shape political and ethical judgment across cultures.

Key Work: The Righteous Mind (2012)Recognition: Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership, NYU Stern

BIA Application: Applied in BIA's culture transformation work — understanding moral intuitions in organisations.

C&DH

Chip & Dan Heath

Organisational Behaviour

Practical decision-making frameworks: WRAP process for better choices, SUCCESs model for sticky ideas, Switch framework for change.

Key Work: Decisive (2013); Switch (2010); Made to Stick (2007)Recognition: Stanford GSB / Duke University faculty

BIA Application: BIA's change management methodology draws on the Switch framework (Rider, Elephant, Path).

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Douglas Hubbard

Decision Science / Measurement

Applied Information Economics (AIE) — demonstrated that anything can be measured, including intangibles. Challenged the notion that some business outcomes are unmeasurable.

Key Work: How to Measure Anything (2007)Recognition: Pioneer in quantitative risk analysis

BIA Application: Foundation of BIA's measurement methodology — quantifying the ROI of behavioural interventions.