The Consensus Project

Our collaboration is driven by a simple idea: management research should make a difference in practice. That belief is what brought us together, and what continues to shape our work on consensus and collective decision‑making.

In every project, we combine careful data analysis with a strong focus on applicability. We study how consensus actually works in organizations and governance settings, and we translate those insights into concrete takeaways for people who lead teams, organizations, and networks. Our partners do not just provide data; they are active contributors who receive tailored feedback and actionable recommendations in return.

This close exchange creates a two‑way learning process. Managers and policymakers gain evidence‑based insights they can immediately use, while we refine our research through direct engagement with the real environments where consensus matters most.

Fittingly, our work on consensus began with a moment of self‑reflection. Early on, we discovered that we had been working on strikingly similar questions, each aiming to bridge scientific rigor and practical relevance, yet largely unaware of the overlap. Recognizing this sparked a collaboration that now focuses on uncovering and addressing the often hidden dynamics of consensus in complex organizational settings.

Kenn Meyfroodt is an assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium. His research explores how management systems, practices, and artifacts shape the way individuals and groups perceive, interpret, and make sense of their organizational environments—across private, public, and nonprofit sectors. With a blend of academic rigor and practical insight, his work bridges the social and analytical dimensions of organizational life. He has published in leading (inter)national peer-reviewed journals and teaches courses in management and HR analytics, equipping future leaders with both conceptual depth and data-driven tools. Before entering academia, he held roles as a management consultant, director, and strategic advisor to boards of international organizations—experiences that continue to inform his research, service and teaching with real-world relevance.

Jurgen Willems is professor at the Department for Management, at the WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, in Austria. He is the Academic Director of two Executive MBA programs, focused on Life Science and Health Care Management. His research and teaching cover various management topics, including Organizational Behavior, Management & Digital Transformation, and Public and Nonprofit Governance. In 2024, he launched a new open-access journal—Public Management and Governance Review—to close the gap between practice and academia. He has been a visiting scholar at the University of Southern Denmark, the American University in Washington, l’Université de La Réunion, the University of Missouri, and the University of Texas at Austin.