Systems Psychodynamics
Systems Psychodynamics
- What is Systems Psychodynamics?
A framework for understanding the unconscious forces that shape behaviour in organisations, groups and institutions.
It holds that beneath formal structures such as strategies, hierarchies and procedures lie patterns of anxiety, defence and loyalty that strongly influence what people do — and cannot do.
- Who coined the term ‘Systems Psychodynamics’?
Tavistock's Eric Miller coined the term in 1993, although the tradition it names dates back to the 1940s. It draws on psychoanalysis, open systems theory, group relations and socio-technical thinking.
- When is Systems Psychodynamics useful?
Systems psychodynamics as a framework is applied across leadership development, organisational consultancy, research and evaluation, coaching and supervision, and work in health, education, public policy and complex multi-stakeholder systems.
It is particularly useful where problems persist despite repeated technical or strategic solutions.
Making sense of organisational dilemmas and challenges
We use this analytical lens to make sense of organisational and leadership dilemmas and challenges. We might be asked to discover why capable organisations repeatedly undermine their own goals, for example, or why experienced leadership teams sometimes lose the capacity to think clearly under pressure.
By attending to the anxiety moving through a system, the unspoken rules about authority and power, and the history that shapes what can and cannot be said, we are able to uncover the answers to questions like this and help shape repairs, sustain leadership and co-create ways forward.
'Rather than asking, “What is wrong with these people?”, systems psychodynamics asks, “What is the system producing, and why?” '
Dr Mannie Sher, in conversation, 2025
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