We were once again proud participants of the AIESEC Youth 2 Business Forum although this time beautiful Vienna played host to the conference. As per usual, the enthusiasm was turned up to the max with ear splitting cheering and even a cheeky Mexican wave or two from the participants.
Lee Newman, who is the Dean at the IE School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, was the keynote speaker and had many a riveted face trained in his direction as he discussed the psychology of decision making.
Robust and compelling evidence from behavioral science has revealed a reality that is difficult for many people to accept: When it comes to making judgments and decisions, we are all innately biased, and even worse – most of us have little or no awareness of this fact. Our reflexive, default behaviors often get us into trouble, leading us to incomplete thinking, story-based arguments, misjudgments of people and trends, and to intuitive decisions that can be profoundly flawed. Yet, making sound judgments and decisions is one of the most important activities that we undertake in the workplace as well as in our personal lives. By understanding the limitations of our “mindware” and learning to recognize common decision biases, we can avoid errors and missed opportunities. Fascinating huh? As you can imagine this raised many questions and had people consciously assessing how they make the decisions that propel them through life.
AIESECers always bring motivation and excitement which is why we love going to their events. We’re already excited about next year and can’t wait to see all of our AIESEC friends again soon!
About the author
Andra has been working in business development within the education sector for the past 5 years, covering first the CEE markets and currently managing the Nordics in terms of recruiting candidates for IE. She also has experience in the healthcare industry, after 2 years dedicated to a cross-departmental assignment at Air Liquide Spain. After graduating as a Valedictorian the Bachelor Degree in Management at the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, where she originally is from, she took on an international experience in Madrid. This city has been home to her for the past 9 years and this is where she graduated from her Master in International Business, at Carlos III University. Andra is passionate about skiing, reading and traveling, with a curiosity for new cultures and understanding human behaviors.