Behavioral Governance: A Decade in the Making
September 25, 2024
I have been actively involved in governance research and training since 2006 when I was a proxy for Professor Roel in 't Veld during his oration. In his speech, Governance als prothese voor deugdzaamheid (Governance as a Prosthesis for Virtue), delivered in Curaçao in 2006 at the University of the Netherlands Antilles (UNA), Professor In 't Veld explored the complexities of governance, virtue, and the need for systems that support ethical leadership.
Soon after, we initiated a masterclass for leaders, supervisors, and interested professionals. In 2014, I founded the University of Governance platform and refined the masterclass. Our focus was not on the formal rules or the bureaucratic aspects of governance but rather on principles and human behavior. Over the years, participants consistently shared that our sessions gave them a genuine insight into how things work behind the scenes.
This year, I introduced the term behavioral governance to encapsulate our approach. The teaching team was immediately enthusiastic. They recognized the concept instantly because it perfectly labeled the method we have taught for the past decade. However, the term itself is not mine. It originates from Jan Stolker's work, Het spel in de board-room: Een introductie in behavioral governance (The Game in the Boardroom: An Introduction to Behavioral Governance), edited by Boom Management. Nonetheless, the essence of this approach has been with us for over ten years, and the rest of the field is only now catching up to where we began a decade ago.
We are eagerly anticipating the 2025 masterclass and hope you will register to explore this innovative approach to governance.
Our country does not enjoy a wealth of well-educated leaders, efficient organizations, and rigorous oversight by accountants, laws, and codes; things too often still go wrong. Supervisors can be blinded by their executives, falling short in providing the necessary 'countervailing power,' leading to a loss of trust in society. With behavioral governance, we aim to address these gaps, fostering a deeper understanding of leadership that goes beyond the formalities and into the core of human interaction.
We look forward to welcoming you on this journey.
Miguel Goede
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