Professor of Leadership & Organizational Behavior
NielsVanQuaquebeke
On a mission to improve workplace leadership through research evidence
About
Human, Author, Speaker, Educator.
Full Professor at KLU Hamburg and Distinguished Research Professor at Exeter.
“I study why people follow, how they collaborate, and what it takes to create humane, effective organizations, especially in times of AI.”
I am a Full Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at Kühne Logistics University (KLU) in Hamburg and a Distinguished Research Professor at the University of Exeter. My work focuses on leadership, communication, and artificial intelligence—particularly where human work and AI intersect.
Trained as a psychologist and having published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles, including work in Financial Times Top 50 journals, my research aims to move beyond simplified narratives and to re-intellectualize the conversation on leadership—helping organizations better understand how to create environments in which both people and performance can genuinely thrive.
Three-time Teacher of the Year at KLU. Former Senior Associate Editor at The Leadership Quarterly, editorial boards of OBHDP, LQ, and JOOP. Founding partner of re|spic|ere — an evidence-based consultancy for workshops and trainings. Academic director of TEXL — an evidence-based 360° leadership feedback platform. And member of the League of Leadership that seeks to introduce academic quality standards to the field of leadership development.
Keynotes
Ideas that carry weight.
Research-backed talks on leadership, AI, and the future of work.
Your Bot Boss:How AI Will Change Leadership
How artificial intelligence can fulfill our psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and connectedness — and what this means for the future of human leadership.
When We Are Not the Smartest People in the Room Anymore
For the first time in history, humans are no longer the smartest problem-solvers on the planet — and that changes everything. This keynote explores what it means for society, identity, and the way we work when the answers we used to pride ourselves on can be generated in seconds.
The Now, New, and Next of Digital Leadership
This keynote traces how technology went from mediating leadership, to augmenting it, to threatening to replace it — and asks the question most boardrooms are not yet ready to answer: what happens when machines become better leaders than we are?
We Are All Managers Now
AI agents don't replace managers — they multiply the need for management. This keynote argues that operating AI will require every employee to think like a multi-level manager, fundamentally changing the nature of organizational authority.
The Ambidextrous Leader:How to Innovate and Execute at the Same Time
The best leaders don't choose between exploring new opportunities and exploiting existing strengths — they do both. This keynote presents the science of organizational ambidexterity and how leaders can build teams that innovate without losing operational excellence.
Just Start:The Psychology of Building in the Age of AI
When AI can build the product, write the pitch, and automate the operations, starting a business is no longer a technical challenge — it is a psychological one. This keynote unpacks the science of entrepreneurial motivation: why most people never start, what separates those who persist from those who quit, and how to assemble the right people, convince the right customers, and sustain momentum when the going gets hard.
Respect:Find Out What It Means to Me
Two decades of research distilled into one talk. Why respect is the most underestimated force in organizations — how it drives motivation, reduces conflict, and shapes whether people choose to follow. Based on award-winning research and 20+ years of fieldwork.
Workshops
From research to practice.
Translating cutting-edge organizational research into actionable frameworks.
Change Management & Motivating Talent
Win/Lose and Win/Win Negotiation
Conflict Management
Futureproof Leadership with AI
Just Start: The Founder Psychology Workshop
Culture Leadership
Clients
Trusted partners.
Working with leaders and organizations worldwide.
Publications
The research.
Publishing in top-tier management and psychology journals.
Media
In the conversation.
Featured in leading outlets sharing research insights.
How technology is reshaping our minds
Der Bot im Verwaltungsrat
Algorithmic Leadership: Wenn Maschinen Menschen führen
Fragen sind der Funken, und Zuhören ist der Brennstoff
Listen First, Build Second
Getestet, getäuscht und aussortiert: Wenn Bias zur Methode wird
Merz muss nicht nur Trump-Treffen meistern
Perceived social breakdown fuels desire for authoritarian leaders
Die neue Chefin
Glücklich im Spagat
Contact
Let's talk.
Interested in a keynote, workshop, or collaboration?
