Drs. Patrick van Veen

About Patrick van Veen

As a biologist, you first learn to observe, only later does the wonderment come, and then much later you start thinking about what you can do with your observations.

Biologist Patrick van Veen focuses on primal social behaviour, in other words, the monkey tricks we exhibit in the workplace. Around various themes, he delves into the question of why we exhibit certain behaviours or why problems arise. He uses the behaviour of monkeys as an example. After all, they are not burdened by shame, rational approaches, culture, or concealing clothing. They can provide us with a perfect framework within which we can subject our problems to investigation.

Patrick van Veen completed his biology studies at the Faculty of Biology at Utrecht University. He then made a transition to a different sector: the insurance industry, where he worked in commercial roles and as a project manager. It was in these roles that he discovered similarities between an organisation and a monkey rock.

Behaviour is always there, we just tend to be completely blind to it.

In 2002, he continued as an independent biologist, trainer, and researcher and founded his company Apemanagement. In this role, he advises businesses, and gives presentations and training sessions. He regularly appears in the media as a behavioural expert and contributes to TV programmes like Married at First Sight and the popular science programme Galileo.

Patrick van Veen not only translates existing research, but through Apemanagement, he also conducts his own research into the fundamental drivers of our behaviour. To find answers to questions such as: “Is cooperation an innate instinct?” and “What are the basic conditions for good collaboration?” he and his colleagues conduct behavioural research on chimpanzees and gorillas. The research into the drivers of bullying behaviour has already provided concrete tools for education to recognise this behaviour more effectively.

The foundation of his current work is research into the similarities between the social behaviour of monkeys and humans in organisations. His first book, “Help mijn baas is een aap!”, offers a biological perspective on social behaviour in organisations. Subsequently, several of his books were published, including Dear colleagues – about monkey business in the workplace and Help! It’s a zoo here, in which he looks at boundary-crossing behaviour in the workplace from a biological perspective and how this can be prevented. He also wrote “In love with your customer”, about the biological and psychological mechanisms behind customer behaviour and customer relationships.

Patrick’s motto is translating science to knowledge. With this, he tries to make biological science accessible to, among others, managers and entrepreneurs, raising awareness of our primal biological behaviour.

Fact: Patrick van Veen is a trustee and member of the Executive Committee of the Jane Goodall Institute Global, which is committed internationally to the protection and welfare of chimpanzees and their natural habitats.