GUESS WHO IS MAKING YOUR B2B DECISIONS?
Good leadership depends on good decisions. But how well do we understand what shapes them? Our choices are influenced by individual perception, collective behavior, and organizational systems, often before we are even aware of it.
Why organizations can become extremely efficient at solving the wrong problems.
WE ARE NOT AS MUCH IN CONTROL AS WE THINK WE ARE
Imagine watching your favorite basketball team alongside someone supporting the opposition. You both witness the same moment. You see a clean defensive block. The other person sees a foul. Both are convinced they are right. When the referee favors your team, the decision seems fair. When it goes against you, the referee suddenly becomes incompetent.
The event is the same. The interpretation is different. Who is right, and why? We don't simply observe reality. Our expectations, loyalties, and beliefs shape what we notice and how we interpret it. Often, we make intuitive judgments first and find logical explanations afterward. Social identity research shows that even people assigned to arbitrary groups can begin favoring their own side. Belonging can shape judgment before evidence enters the picture.
Kahneman described another shortcut: question substitution. When faced with a difficult question, we unconsciously answer an easier one. Instead of asking, “Is this supplier the best long-term choice?" we ask, "Do I trust the people presenting the proposal?" We feel confident in our decision, even when we've answered the wrong question.
THE GAME WE PLAY SHAPES THE DECISIONS WE MAKE
Now imagine the entire basketball game. Players, coaches, spectators, and officials experience it from different positions. Individual judgments become collective beliefs. Everyone participates in a system that shapes behavior and decisions. What makes a successful team? Players have different responsibilities and expertise, yet everyone understands what they are trying to achieve.
DIFFERENT EXPERTISE. ONE COMMON DIRECTION
Business works much the same way. Consider a B2B company evaluating a partnership. Sales sees growth. Finance sees risk. Operations sees complexity. Leadership sees strategic potential. Everyone evaluates the same opportunity but reaches a different conclusion. We often assume that giving people more information will produce better decisions. But information alone doesn't resolve differences in judgment. People need to understand what matters and why.
DON'T TRY TO FIX THE HUMAN. FIX THE DECISION ENVIRONMENT
Modern businesses operate through financial models, processes, performance indicators, and incentives. These systems make organizations efficient, measurable, and manageable. But they also create competing priorities. Finance optimizes returns. Operations optimizes efficiency. Sales optimizes revenue. Each can succeed individually while the business as a whole moves in the wrong direction.
The system determines how decisions are made. Brand helps determine what those decisions should achieve. Not as a logo or marketing activity, but as the organizing core of the business, connecting commercial objectives, human values, and customer expectations. Its purpose is to help everyone understand which opportunities to pursue, what matters most, and what should never be compromised.
Even sophisticated organizations can confuse correlation with causation. Revenue rises after a marketing campaign, so management credits the campaign. But what if growth came from pricing changes, stronger demand, or better sales execution? We can become exceptionally good at measuring performance while misunderstanding what actually drives it.
WHEN IDENTITY CHANGES THE JUDGMENT
Imagine watching two unfamiliar basketball teams. You have no preference for either. One scores. The other protests. Whom do you believe? Without enough knowledge to judge, you may trust the referee as the representative of an established system. Now replace the teams' identities with Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
The players haven't changed. The play hasn't changed. But has your judgment changed? Research has shown that identifying a drink as Coca-Cola can influence people's preferences, even when the drink itself remains unchanged. The logo is only a cue. Behind it are years of experiences, expectations, and emotional associations. This reveals both the extraordinary power and the potential danger of brand.
It can create confidence and trust. But it can also encourage us to defend what we believe instead of questioning what we know. Brand can influence judgment without making that judgment correct. The same applies inside a business. A strong organizational identity should guide decisions, not justify poor ones.
WHY THIS MATTERS IN B2B
B2B decisions involve multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and long-term consequences. Gartner's 2025 research found that 74% of B2B buying teams experienced unhealthy conflict during decision-making. The challenge isn't simply to provide more information. It's to help different perspectives work toward the same outcome. Internally, brand guides decisions. Externally, those decisions build, or destroy trust.
Customers cannot become experts in everything a supplier does. They need confidence in what the business stands for, how it behaves, and what to expect. A credible reputation reduces uncertainty and the psychological risk of making a decision.
But confidence isn't proof. Familiarity isn't competence. And agreement doesn't guarantee that a decision is right. The real power of a brand is not in making everyone see the same thing. It is in helping people make sense of what they see, and decide what to do about it.
Organizations don't become efficient at solving the wrong problems simply because people make poor decisions. They become efficient at solving the wrong problems when the system repeatedly rewards the wrong choices. The question for leaders isn't just how to make better decisions. It's how to build a business that makes better decisions possible.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Van Rais is a systems polymath combining business strategy, applied behavioral science, and high-end creative work to turn brand into a measurable business advantage.
His work helps organizations identify hidden barriers, unlock growth opportunities, and enable customers to do what they couldn't do before.
A pioneer in applying behavioral science to branding, Van has led projects for Microsoft, GE, Starbucks, Virgin, and numerous scale-ups. He advises Bescy, a global behavioral science community, and has taught at Parsons School of Design and the School of Visual Arts.
REFERENCES
Hastorf, A. H., & Cantril, H. (1954). They Saw a Game: A Case Study. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology.
Tajfel, H., et al. (1971). Social Categorization and Intergroup Behaviour. European Journal of Social Psychology.
Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow.
McClure, S. M., et al. (2004). Neural Correlates of Behavioral Preference for Culturally Familiar Drinks. Neuron.
Gartner (2025). 74% of B2B Buyer Teams Demonstrate Unhealthy Conflict During the Decision Process.
Interbrand (2026). Best Global Brands 2026.
Rohrer, J. M. (2018). Thinking Clearly About Correlations and Causation. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science.
About VAN RAIS
He successfully brings together strategy, high-end design, and applied behavioral science into a unified system for transformation. His expertise lies in business and brand development, leading Behavioral Branding initiatives for Microsoft, GE, Starbucks, and various scale-ups. His love for art and pop culture makes him feel alive, living in New York City.
Thank you!