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.
Daniel Kahneman
Behavioural Economics / Cognitive PsychologyProspect Theory, dual-process theory (System 1 & 2), heuristics and biases research programme. Demonstrated that human judgment systematically departs from rationality.
BIA Application: Foundation of BIA's diagnostic framework — mapping System 1 vs System 2 decisions in organisations.
Richard Thaler
Behavioural EconomicsNudge theory, libertarian paternalism, mental accounting, endowment effect. Bridged behavioural science with public policy and choice architecture.
BIA Application: Core to BIA's choice architecture methodology — designing defaults that make better behaviour the easy choice.
Cass Sunstein
Law / Behavioural PolicyChoice architecture, regulatory nudging, cost-benefit analysis. Co-developed the intellectual framework for behavioural policy design.
BIA Application: Informs BIA's approach to policy and public behaviour interventions.
Robert Cialdini
Social PsychologySix principles of persuasion: reciprocity, commitment, social proof, authority, liking, scarcity. Later added unity as a seventh principle.
BIA Application: Applied across BIA's customer experience and marketing behavioural consulting.
Dan Ariely
Behavioural EconomicsDemonstrated the systematic, predictable nature of irrational behaviour. Research on dishonesty, the pain of paying, and the effect of expectations on experience.
BIA Application: Underpins BIA's work on pricing psychology and consumer decision architecture.
Amos Tversky
Cognitive PsychologyCo-developed prospect theory, anchoring, availability heuristic, and representativeness heuristic with Kahneman. Transformed understanding of human judgment.
BIA Application: Foundational to every BIA bias audit and decision-quality assessment.
BJ Fogg
Behaviour DesignFogg Behaviour Model (B = MAP): Behaviour occurs when Motivation, Ability, and a Prompt converge. Founded the field of behaviour design.
BIA Application: Core model for BIA's behaviour design interventions — mapping triggers, ability, and motivation.
Susan Michie
Health Psychology / Behaviour ChangeCOM-B model and Behaviour Change Wheel — a systematic framework for diagnosing behaviour and selecting interventions.
BIA Application: Used in BIA's health and wellbeing consulting engagements.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Risk & UncertaintyBlack Swan theory, antifragility, and the critique of predictive models. Showed that rare, high-impact events dominate outcomes.
BIA Application: Informs BIA's risk assessment methodology and stress-testing of behavioural interventions.
Jonathan Haidt
Moral PsychologyMoral Foundations Theory — identified six innate moral foundations that shape political and ethical judgment across cultures.
BIA Application: Applied in BIA's culture transformation work — understanding moral intuitions in organisations.
Chip & Dan Heath
Organisational BehaviourPractical decision-making frameworks: WRAP process for better choices, SUCCESs model for sticky ideas, Switch framework for change.
BIA Application: BIA's change management methodology draws on the Switch framework (Rider, Elephant, Path).
Douglas Hubbard
Decision Science / MeasurementApplied Information Economics (AIE) — demonstrated that anything can be measured, including intangibles. Challenged the notion that some business outcomes are unmeasurable.
BIA Application: Foundation of BIA's measurement methodology — quantifying the ROI of behavioural interventions.