To better understand these dynamic, non-linear patterns, Professor Jan Willem Bolderdijk, director of the Marketing Insights for Societal Transitions Impact Centre at the Amsterdam Business School, explored this theme in his keynote address. He spoke during the Dag van het Gedrag (NL) event, which brings together experts and policymakers from various fields. The event focuses on how behaviour can drive meaningful change.

‘Behavioural change - whether at the level of an individual, a group or society as a whole - means that a system shifts from one stable state to another. In other words, it reaches a tipping point,’ Bolderdijk explained. At the conference, focused on the theme the power of behaviour as a driver of transformation, he showed how systems thinking can be applied to design, implement and evaluate behavioural interventions.

Understanding social tipping points

A social tipping point occurs when small changes trigger self-reinforcing feedback loops that move a system from one stable state to another. ‘Take the example of the Black Pete tradition,’ said Bolderdijk. ‘Did the protests of the 1960s lay the groundwork for a tipping point decades later? In complex systems, there are rarely single causes that drive change. It’s usually an interplay of different factors that gradually lead to transformation.’
System maps and simulations, he added, can help us understand how complex systems behave and anticipate the effects of interventions.

Mapping the system

A system consists of interconnected factors that together shape behaviour—and these connections can change over time. ‘Ask yourself: where in the system can you intervene? And which points have the greatest potential impact?’ According to Bolderdijk, behavioural interventions often act as disturbances within a complex dynamic system. If a change doesn’t appear immediately, that doesn’t mean it’s ineffective. ‘The current equilibrium may be strong, and the seeds you plant today may only show results later. Tipping points don’t happen overnight - they require patience.’

From inspiration to action 

Bolderdijk’s talk resonated with the audience: ‘Afterwards, I received messages from people saying they had started reading Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows, which I recommended in my keynote.’

About Jan Willem Bolderdijk

Jan Willem Bolderdijk is Professor of Sustainability & Marketing at the Amsterdam Business School and director of the Marketing Insights for Societal Transitions (MIST) Impact Centre. His research focuses on why good intentions do not always translate into positive behaviour, and how consumers, marketers, companies and governments can help make sustainable and healthy choices more mainstream.

About Dag van het Gedrag

Dag van het Gedrag is an annual event organised by the Behavioural Insights Network Netherlands. It brings together policymakers, regulators, legal experts, communication professionals and behavioural scientists from across government, academia and consultancy to explore how behavioural insights can drive societal change.