Kees van den Bos appointed professor of 'Organisational Development and Leadership for Societal Transitions' at USG
As of 15 October 2025, Kees van den Bos has been appointed professor at the new chair ‘Organisational Development and Leadership for Societal Transitions’ at the Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ School of Governance (USG). With the Kees van den Bos, we are strengthening USG with a modern professor who will play an inspiring and pioneering role in (applied) academic research, education and consultancy within the chair's field of expertise.
Head of the department Prof. Mirko Noordegraaf is delighted: Kees van den Bos is a scholar with authority, who has a strong affinity with multidisciplinary research, practical applications and social engagement. That fits in seamlessly with what we as USG stand for.
Van den Bos himself is highly motivated to start working as a newly appointed professor: I think USG is a fantastic School. The transdisciplinary character, the small-scale, intensive education, the intellectual, pleasant and collegial atmosphere, the high-quality and practical and societally relevant research, the substantive interfaces between this chair and my experience and what I want to develop in the coming years (also with the Gravitation grant for
) – it all makes me very enthusiastic!
Kees van den Bos
Kees van den Bos is a social scientist trained in various disciplines and fields. For the last 24 years he has been professor of social psychology including the social psychology of organisations at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ. He has also held a chair in the field of empirical legal research for the past twelve years. Van den Bos is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), has been voted Psychology Lecturer of the Year at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ three times, and is a first-generation scientist.
His research focuses on the issue of how people and public organisations deal with societal changes, such as climate change, pandemics and security threats. Research into perceived procedural justice shows that fair and just leadership is crucial in this regard.
This includes respectful and competent managers who know and understand what is going on, and who ensure that people within an organisation, and in the environment of the organisation, feel heard and seen, and are valued as a full-fledged part of their organisation, their living environment, their society and indeed the entire world.
I like to do research, engage in education, and facilitate projects and developments that matter. Things that are scientifically solid. To provide insights that are both accurate and relevant. We do this as a team, with scientific researchers, various teachers, organisational developers, and support staff of various origins and backgrounds,
says Van den Bos.
Read more about Kees van den Bos on his Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ profile page:
Organisational Development and Leadership for Social Transitions
The chair 'Organisational Development and Leadership for Social Transitions' focuses on the question of which organisational developments are the result of social transitions and, conversely, what effects organisational development have on those transitions. Particular attention is paid to issues and developments in the field of sustainability and the fairness and justice of societal changes. The focus is specifically on leadership, as leadership influences and gives meaning to organizational development in all kinds of ways.
Which organisational developments are needed to respond more adequately, powerfully and quickly to transitions? Which change management approaches are part of this? How can these be achieved and what kind of leadership is appropriate? Public organisations have an exemplary role in this, as do private organisations with a public task such as banks, insurers, educational institutions, healthcare institutions, cultural institutions, and sports organisations. Within the chair, such questions will be analysed from the perspective of individual organisations, but also at the level of inter-organisational and public-private partnerships.
Directors and managers of organisations with a public task play a crucial role in social transitions. They will be given responsibilities for responding to and anticipating those transitions and influencing them by giving direction to organizational developments. This often takes place in a complex, unpredictable and rapidly changing environment, in which actors with diverse wishes, needs, interests and sources of power operate. The activities of the chair focus on the effectiveness of the leadership shown in this interplay of forces, and the question of what leadership is needed for the responsibilities in these societal transitions.
'An outward-looking, entrepreneurial view'
The chair is part of the department of Organisation and Management. Prof. Eva Knies is department chair: We are looking forward to working with Kees van den Bos, who, as a scientist, combines solid internal leadership with an outward-looking and entrepreneurial view,
says Eva Knies. The new chair offers an excellent opportunity to bring together existing expertise within the Organisation and Management department in the field of organisational development and leadership and to jointly expand it in the service of scientific and societal impact.
Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ School of Governance (USG)
The Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ School of Governance (USG) provides education and conducts research in the broad field of public administration and organisational sciences. The emphasis is on enriching knowledge about the management and organisation of public issues, in interaction with political and social developments. The leading question is how public organisations and private organisations with a public task deal with current social issues, shape their public responsibilities and deliver public value. The School of Governance is one of the three departments within the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance.