Effectiveness of Countermeasures against the Status Quo Bias in Group Decisions

Abstract

This master's thesis analyses the effectiveness of countermeasures to reduce the status quo bias in group decision-making processes. The status quo bias describes a bias in which people tend to decide in favour of the current situation instead of choosing an alternative option. In organisations, this bias can lead to resistance to innovation and change. The aim of this paper is to evaluate two countermeasures to overcome this bias: ‘Tell success stories’ and ‘Increase the perceived value of the change’. For the method, three fictitious case studies were written, each simulating a decisionmaking situation in a group of employees: a control group without countermeasures and two experimental groups with the described countermeasures. The case studies were read by 24 assigned students, who were separated in three groups according to the case studies. The students then completed individual questionnaires and decided between the status quo and the alternative option. They then discussed in six groups and made a group decision, which was again evaluated. The results from the individual questionnaires showed a general preference for the alternative option in all three groups, but the case studies with the countermeasures did not have the desired effect, as the participants tended to opt for the status quo compared to the control case study. In addition, all groups opted for the alternative option, which made it difficult to compare the different groups. The influencing factors analysed (risk attitude, loss aversion and group cohesion) did not significantly impact the decisionmaking process. The results suggest that the effectiveness of the tested countermeasures may be overestimated, and that further research is needed to develop effective strategies to counteract the status quo bias.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	English
Supervisor	Kristiana Roth (Supervisor)