Status Quo Bias

Knowledge Center

What is Status Quo Bias? Meaning.

The Status Quo Bias is the human tendency to like things to stay relatively the same. The current situation is taken as the reference point, and any change from that baseline is perceived as a loss. Assumptions of longevity (long lasting), goodness as well as inertia (resistance to change) are said to be contributing factors to status quo bias.

Note we are dealing with a bias: an irrational preference for the current state of affairs. It is not the same as a rational preference for the state of affairs, such as is the case when the current situation is objectively better than the available alternatives.

Also we should separate SQB from a situation in which insufficient or incorrect information is the source of problems.

This type of cognitive bias in judgment and decision making is similar to anchoring and confirmation bias. In reality, it will often occur combined with other distortions in human thinking, such as loss aversion bias. 

SQB is particularly relevant for change managers, organizational development specialists, management consultants, strategists and project and program managers.

Forum New Topic Forum about the Status Quo Bias. Organizational Sacred Cows The future effectiveness of organizations is contingent upon organizational change. Organizations need to bring about an (...) 26   28 comments How to Overcome SQB? SQB may be an inherent behavior or cognitive bias in human beings with a resistance to change. At a cor (...) 10   8 comments 🔥 NEW SQB versus Psychological Inertia Quoting from Wikipedia: "Status quo bias should be distinguished from psychological inertia, which refers to a lack of i (...) 3   2 comments Quotes on SQB. Quotations Hi, do you know of a remarkable, humorous quote by a famous person or a proverb related to the human tendency to like th (...) 2   Start a new forum topic about the Status Quo Bias. More info. Share your opinion, knowledge and experience or ask a question (sign up for free first)

Expert Tips Sign up Advanced insights about the Status Quo Bias. Here you will find professional advices by experts. Key Behaviors of Innovative Organizations Innovation Management, Culture Change, Organizational Change, Innovative Culture, Organizational Culture Many large-scale attempts to make organizations more innovative are experiencing organizational inertia, barriers and/or (...)

Information Sources Sign up Various sources of information regarding the Status Quo Bias. Here you will find powerpoints, videos, news, etc. to use in your own lectures and workshops. SQB - Cases and Examples SQB, Change Management, Human Behavior Presentation about the so-called “SQB” that leads to avoiding change and action. The presentation consists (...)

Research Links Sign up Automatically jump to further useful sources regarding the Status Quo Bias. News Videos Presentations Books More

Compare also: Appreciative Inquiry

Return to Management Hub: Change & Organization  |  Communication & Skills  |  Human Resources  |  Program & Project Management

More on Management  |  Return to Management Dictionary

This ends our Status Quo Bias summary and forum.