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I offer advice, consulting and training in natural leadership, team conflict and negotiation, and prosocial behaviour for both private companies and public organisations. I also offer advice on a range of applied problems with psychological aspects such as environmental protection, charity giving, transport, anti-social behaviour, and social exclusion. All of the work I do is based on the use of rigorous psychological theory and research. The objective is to improve the welfare of individuals, communities, organizations and society through improving cooperative skills and motivations.
I have worked with a number of government, profit and non-profit groups, including the Netherlands' Department of Transport, English Nature, National Health Service, Rank Xerox, Southampton Football Club, Southern Water and various city councils in the UK and the Netherlands.
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Consultancy on projects about leadership, group dynamics, organizational performance, environment, charity giving, volunteering, social cohesion |
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I have been involved in various field research projects studying how individuals and groups manage social dilemmas and foster prosocial behaviour in the real-world, specifically with regard to environmental problems like transportation, water conservation, and recycling. Recently, I have also looked at topics such as charity support, philanthropy, organ donation, and community cohesion in Britain an the Netherlands. In this research I apply insights from evolutionary and social psychology to understand these issues and offer suggestions for interventions.
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Read more about my methodology ...
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Why are some people more willing to give to charities than others? What motivates some people to register as organ donors. What are the actual or perceived obstacles for organ donor registration? In these research projects we have looked at what motivates people to act altruistically. |
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My research, supported by the Dutch Ministry of Traffic and Waterways, was among the first to recognize that the decision between different modes of transport can be framed as a social dilemma , a conflict between private and public interests. My research showed that there are systematic personality differences underlying transport mode preferences. How difficult it is to change travel mode decisions was demonstrated in evaluation research we carried out in the Netherlands on the effects of a field-experiment,, the carpool lane (Van Vugt, Van Lange, Meertens, & Joireman, 1996).
We have also carried out comparative studies in the UK and US (Seattle) to determine public support for government plans to reduce car use. |
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I have worked with environmental researchers (like Dr. Pete Shaw, University of Southampton) on various research projects on domestic waste recycling in London (with financial support from a trust). In several surveys we studied the effects of attitudes on residents willingness to participate in recycling scheme. Furthermore, we looked at various interventions to promote recycling. |
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How can residents be persuaded to use less water when there is an eminent water shortage? This was the main question of a research programme on social dilemmas that I started in the UK (with financial aid from a water company). Of primary interest was the comparison between two different incentive schemes for water conservation: a fixed tariff vs. a variable (metered) tariff. We hypothesized and showed that, overall, people who pay a variable tariff for water are more likely to restrain themselves during a shortage than residents who pay a fixed tariff. |
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