Tavistock Institute Lunchtime Talks

Everyone is invited to our Lunchtime Talks.

We feature new thinking, ideas and insights on the hidden patterns in human behaviour and how people and organisations can work better together.

We host an outstanding line-up of speakers, from across the intersecting worlds of consulting, change management and leadership, professional development and coaching.

There’s no charge to attend but we invite optional donations to our bursary fund, to widen access to our Professional Development programmes.

Upcoming

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‘My soul stands now planted’ – Rooting, re-rooting and self-constitution in Organizational Role-Taking

Lunchtime Talk with Dr Shely Halachmi Sussman, offering a framework for understanding the process of constituting oneself in role.

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Dr Lennox Joseph, consultant, author and NTL Institute for Applied Behavioural Science practitioner

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Faith and organisations, with Mark Argent, psychoanalytic psychotherapist and organisational consultant

Generative uncertainty, with Dr Nicola Redhouse

Dr Redhouse is Lecturer in Publishing and Editing at the School of Culture and Communication, University of Melbourne, Australia.

NOTE EARLIER TIME for this Lunchtime Talk

Past events

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Defence against the Dark Arts of cyber: who cares for the caretakers?

Lunchtime Talk with Nancy Gossling: a tale of fear, fantasy and evil: analysis of cyber dynamics, insecurities and containment

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Wellbeing first: designing motivation systems in AI-driven workplaces

Explore how motivation practices translate into commitment in increasingly AI shaped workplaces, with Dr Hanna Kinowska, Institute of Human Capital, SGH Warsaw School of Economics

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Social Dreaming and democracy: is it time to rethink?

Lunchtime Talk — Julian Manley, Professor of Social Innovation at the University of Lancashire explores Social Dreaming as a democratic process

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The Political Engagement of Psychoanalysis: Nic Waal and the Edith Jacobson Case

Lunchtime Talk with Dr Lene Auestad, author and philosopher, University of Oslo: stories, psychoanalysis and politics. Hosted by Dr Mannie Sher

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On Talking about Groups: the Leicester Conference, for Insiders and Outsiders

Lunchtime Talk with Lily Scherlis, Brooklyn-based writer, artist and PhD candidate, University of Chicago

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Taking an honest approach: step into the role of a participatory researcher

This Lunchtime Talk will explore participatory research with Ryan Wise & Dr Thomas Spielhofer (Tavistock Institute) and Callum Ross & Lisa Androulidakis (Habitus Collective)

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Lunchtime Talk: Hope and resistance in oppressive systems, with Dr Katy Mason

Inspired by ideas in The Handmaid’s Tale, this talk will focus on resistance networks in systems where it feels too radical to openly offer any countercultural narrative | Wednesday October 22nd, 1pm to 2:30pm | online

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Lunchtime Talk: Thinking with machines, with Dr Jean Cooper

Ambivalence, projection and the place of AI in Systems Psychodynamics

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Lunchtime Talk: Black women leadership, with Dr Ruth Pombi Chiraga

How the double jeopardy of race and gender affects Black women leaders | Weds July 23 1pm 2.30pm | Online and in-person (central London)

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Lunchtime Talk: building democracy at work

Bridging theory and practice in action research, with Hanne Finnestrand, Associate Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

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Lunchtime Talk: The new national Just Transition framework for Scotland

Dr David Drabble (Tavistock Institute) and Dr Kirsten Jenkins (University of Edinburgh). This talk considered the new Just Transition framework and how it will aid the redesign of socio-economic systems in the face of climate change

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Making sense of endings and beginnings in life and leadership

This Lunchtime Talk is with Dr Majken Askeland, senior consultant at AFF, the largest leadership development environment in Norway and Associate Fellow at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

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You’ve got the part!’ Wanted and unwanted roles in organisational ethnography

Lunchtime Talk with Dr Peter Shepherd, independent consultant: How the researcher’s identity in situ is shaped and reshaped by expectations and projections | Wednesday 19 March 2025, 1pm — 2.30pm (UTC)

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Turning chaos into growth: Lessons from war zones for leaders and organisations

Lunchtime Talk with Yeshim Harris | Wednesday 19 February 2025, 1pm — 2:30pm UTC

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The Uncanny, the Mystical and the Myth: Finding space for the irrational in leadership thinking

Noel McQuaid presents this Food for Thought Lunchtime Talk, 22nd January at 1pm

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The Role of Creativity in Evaluative Practice

Join us in this session to explore how creativity plays a role in Evaluative Practice on Weds 11th December 1pm-2.30pm

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Seeking an adultier adult: explore human creativity in organisations

Over the last few decades, there has been an increased focus on how organisations can ‘improve’ creativity and innovation. Join us on Weds November 20 at 1pm — 2.30pm to discuss

Scrambling Time and Matter in Sulphur

This Food for Thought lunchtime talk will share Heni Hale’s process of encountering archive materials of The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations.

Wednesday 18 September 2024, 1pm — 2.30pm

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Exploring the human-technology constellation to understand our entangled modern world

In this talk, on 17th July at 1pm, Dr Nick Waggett will explore how digital technologies have become incorporated into our intra- and inter-psychic processes.

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Dreaming for the Future, with Dr Franca Fubini and Susan Long

Inspired by Susan Long’s writing about anticipatory dreams and dreaming for the future, Franca Fubini will explore how the matrix dreams from the past in order to develop dreaming for the future.

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Unlocking Leadership, with Mariana Moura

Unlocking Leadership: The Next Generation of Family Business, with Mariana Moura. Join us for a captivating exploration of family business dynamics with Mariana Moura, a Brazilian consultant in the field of family enterprises.

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The Trilogy Matrix Event, with Richard Morgan-Jones

Developing field theory for consulting in organisations, and group relations

A ‘Food for Thought’ Lunchtime Talk

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Paradox Leadership

How to handle paradoxes and benefit from the inherent conflicts and tensions

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Neurodiversity at work: learning from a global study on accessibility in the workplace

Inspired by the concept of biodiversity, neurodiversity is a concept that recognises neurological differences in individuals, including Autism, ADHD, dyslexia and Sensory Processing Disorder.

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Ethical consultancy: placing equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of practice

Join us for this online Lunchtime Talk by Sini Rinne-Kerridge exploring ethical consultancy

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Professional joy: don’t let your dream die with you

Steven H. Cady asks ‘why is it that traditional career paths often fall short of yielding true fulfillment?’

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S[in]ging and moving ab[out]

Applying and evolving Deepening Creative Practice in and out of the NHS field, with Bernadette Kennedy and Emily Kyte

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The ticking clock: climate trauma in organisations

Join us for this hybrid Lunchtime Talk with Dr. Rebecca Nestor

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Lateral Authority

Exploring Lateral Relations at Work — a talk by Petros Oratis

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Learning from Women and Girls, a Lunchtime Talk

The story and learnings from the Women and Girls Initiative

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Artistic Affluence in Social Dreaming

An in person immersive Lunchtime Talk session

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Making an Online Learning course

— all the fun and all the challenges

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Is there a Doctor in the House?

What defines GPs’ primary tasks, roles, and systems?

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The Future of Humanity Report

— a mashup of indices and qualitative analysis of reports. A talk by Professor Steven H. Cady.

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“All we do is have meetings...”

What do meetings tell us about group dynamics and workplace culture?

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Why is conflict good for you?

How does a method used at peace negotiations work in a group setting?

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Crafting your research from practice

Karen Izod and Siobhain Smiton talk about leading and participating in a systems-psychodynamically oriented doctoral programme.

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Exploring professional identity

How do we marry professionalism with individual identity?

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Sentient Excavations

Developing a social practice as an artist. A talk that took place within the first exhibition of artworks in our offices.

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Exploring Harold Bridger’s Archive

This talk explores the ways in which Harold Bridger shaped the history, memory, and identity of the Tavistock Institute between the years 1947 and c.1990

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Survive and Thrive. What are we learning from the pandemic?

The Tavistock Institute team reflect on what learning about resilience is emerging from the coronavirus pandemic.

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Book Launch: ‘An Introduction to Systems Psychodynamics’

David Lawlor and Mannie Sher speak on systems psychodynamics theory and its application to organisational consultancy as part of this book launch of An Introduction to Systems Psychodynamics

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Boosting Human Capital for the 21st century

The Tavistock Institute team talk about a project designed to help low-skilled jobseekers train for future employment.

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An Ancient Greek Philosophy of Management Consulting

How we can introduce useful novelty into our thinking about management consulting?

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Implementation Science Below the Waterline

Allison Metz joined us recently to speak about the role of trust and psychological safety in the use of evidence.

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Consultants: are our ethics for real or just skin deep?...

Being a consultant means helping the client. How open are we to when we are not?

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Mother / Child / Fly

Simone Kennedy was the Institute’s first Visiting Artist-in-Residence. In this recording, we hear how Simone re-imagines a symbolic mother shaped from experience.

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Evaluating design enabled innovations

Special session: towards a common impact evaluation methodology

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Applied Anthropology in Organisational Research & Consultancy

Why is anthropology important when understanding organisations?

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Global socio-technical systems perspectives

The development of compassionate work and organisation design

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Experiences of Deepening Creative Practice

Join the Deepening Creative Practice community in a collective space to play, explore and experiment.

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The Art of Not Knowing

In this talk, Marian Timmermans combines models from Tavistock and Transactional Analysis in dealing with the unknown when working with groups.

A person carries a child through a flooded street, with water reaching below the knees. In the background, there are buildings, power lines, and some people navigating the water. The sky is partly cloudy.

Tavistock Institute of Human Relations and the Environment

A talk by our staff exploring how we apply Tavistock social science to our environmental work.

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The Medical Self: why doctors make bad patients

Professor Dame Clare Gerada explores the reasons why doctors find it so hard to seek help when needed.

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Under the surface and far apart

The dynamics of discord in remote teams

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A.K. Rice: A Forgotten Giant at The Tavistock Institute

Jean Neumann and Antonio Sama trace A.K. Rice’s legacy embedded and captured in articles, books and other source documents.

A small dog wrapped in a blue and pink blanket sits on someone's lap. The person is using a laptop, with their hands visible on the keyboard and mouse. The scene has a cozy, at-home atmosphere.

Impact of Covid-19 on front-line practitioners

Anna Sophie Hahne, Georgie Parry-Crooke and Thomas Spielhofer presented findings from the TIHR Covid-19 research study.

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Consultancy with a light touch

Me and Work: experiences of consulting to organisations, sharing feelings, emotions, failures and learning from them.

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Emotional Labour

Exploring the impact of repeated bereavements for staff in a special school

Two hands reaching toward each other with extended fingers, nearly touching, set against a light, textured background; inspired by Michelangelos The Creation of Adam.

The Tavistock Touch: what is our role now in repairing the world?

Lucian J. Hudson explores what it means to touch during a time of social distancing.

Several park benches are blocked off with red and white tape, preventing people from sitting. The benches are along a paved path in a green park with trees, bushes, and a white building in the background.

Connecting and Communicating in the midst of a Pandemic

Reflections on living in the time of Coronavirus.

Antique map of Paris showing detailed streets and buildings in red, with rivers and green spaces, labeled in both French and Dutch at the top, surrounded by a decorative border.

Systems thinking at the Tavistock Institute

— past, present and future

An elderly woman with white hair and glasses sits at a table, concentrating on crafting or working with her hands. She wears a patterned dress and a dark cardigan. The image has a warm, orange tint.

Everyday life, policy and research: older people and social exclusion

Dr Philip Corran explores the challenges of balancing everyday life and policy when it comes to ageing, disability and social exclusion.

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Complexity and Evaluation — latest developments

Dr Dione Hills asks — how can a better understanding of complexity have an impact on the way we think?

A person wearing glasses lies on a comfortable gray couch, resting their head on a dark cushion. They are wrapped in a blanket and appear relaxed in a cozy indoor setting.

Integration of Young People who are NEET

Learning from the ‘NEETs in Action’ Erasmus+ project.

A soft, plush bunny toy in focus sits in a hospital operating room. In the blurred background, medical professionals in scrubs, masks, and caps are attending to a patient under bright lights. Monitors display vital information.

Why we need children’s hospices

David Strudley CBE FRSA makes the case for a major expansion of children’s hospice services.

A woman with long dark hair is sitting on a chair in a well-lit room with a plain white wall. She is wearing a light sweater and dark pants, smiling softly at the camera.

Evaluation: from reflective to deliberative practice?

Giorgia Iacopini explores what drives policy-making, taking us beyond the assumptions of policy work that still inform the evidence-based policy movement.

A vibrant assortment of hats in various colors and styles, including fedoras and wide-brimmed hats, is displayed in a shop. Each hat has a price tag attached. The hats are stacked closely, creating a colorful and textured visual.

Bringing out the best in times of uncertainty

In this talk, Professor Georgie Parry-Crooke explores what the right hat or hats might be for collaborative evaluation roles.

A man with a beard and shaved head is wearing a dark vest over a shirt. He is standing indoors against a white wall, smiling slightly at the camera. The lighting is soft and natural.

The challenge of blending spirituality with organisational demands

What happens in the areas in which organisational structure and spiritual experience intersect or are in tension with one another?

A fluffy orange and white cat lies on a blue textured blanket, intently watching a laptop with its screen open. The background is a plain wall, creating a cozy indoor setting.

Virtual Reality

A lunchtime talk by Coreene Archer and David Drabble.

A group of people gather in a brightly lit room with beige walls, engaged in conversation. They stand near a circle of empty chairs, surrounded by colorful papers and a coffee cup on a central table. Wall plaques are visible in the background.

The Tavistock Community: our story so far…

A talk presented by Agnès Berthoz, Laure Fraval, Kalina Stamenova and Eva Worm

A crowded hallway in a hospital with rows of people sitting, including individuals in wheelchairs. The focus is on the wheelchair user in the foreground, while others wait in line. The atmosphere is busy and anticipatory.

The ‘Impossibility’ of Working in the Current NHS

Dr Rachel Gibbons facilitates a conversation to think about what is wrong with the NHS.

A green Möbius strip made of paper is placed on a light surface. The strip twists once before connecting the ends, creating a continuous loop with a single side and edge, casting a soft shadow.

One, Two, Three… Groups

Dr Yossi Triest talks about bridging the gap between the ‘unconscious of the individual’ and the ‘unconscious of the group.’

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The Hidden Gem of Leadership

Followership Lessons from a Convent Community

A man in a dark coat stands and speaks to a seated audience in a bright room with white walls and ornate architectural details. The audience listens attentively.

Poetry in the Here and Now

Joe Cullen selects poems from his own work as the Bard of Dalston that ask questions of the here and now.

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Looked After Children #1

Reflections from TIHR researchers on evaluating the Adoption Support Fund 2015-2017.

A man speaks into a microphone, gesturing with his hands. The image is distorted with colorful digital glitches and horizontal lines, creating a fragmented, abstract effect.

CyborgORG: The Human/Machine Organization

From coal mines to WeWork: learning from the Tavistock Tradition, researching the contemporary workplace — a lunchtime talk by Jack Marmorstein.

Three people carry large baskets on their heads along a dirt road. They are walking away from the camera. The sky is partly cloudy, and there are piles of earth on either side of the road.

Female Genital Cutting, human rights and religious freedom

This talk looked at issues of negotiating independence and the politics of knowledge production in the case of Female Genital Cutting.

A black and white photo of three abstract stone sculptures. Two larger figures are seated on stools, each holding a harp, while a smaller figure sits nearby. The sculptures have a minimalist design with smooth surfaces.

The Chair: politics, sociology and how to sit on one

In this talk, Rachel Kelly traced the history of the chair through human evolution, the significance and symbolism of the chair, the chair as ‘object of desire’ and what makes a comfortable chair.

Three young boys walk along a dirt path beside a brick wall, with one boy carrying a large, filled sack over his shoulder. The scene suggests labor or a journey, with scattered debris and a rustic background.

Lifting neighbourhoods out of poverty

How do we harness resources to create a more cohesive system?

A man with gray hair wearing a brown sweater and khaki pants sits on a chair near a large window. There is a tall potted plant beside him, and a cityscape is visible through the window. The room's atmosphere is calm and softly lit.

The Five Facets of Theory of Change

Richard Allen, Principal Researcher and Consultant at the Tavistock Institute, presents research into the ‘five facets of Theory of Change’.

A large courtyard with groups of people walking and gathering. In the background, traditional Chinese architecture with red walls and ornate roofs, likely part of a historic site, is seen under a clear sky.

The Dynamics of Habit and Ritual: Theories from China

Michael Puett’s lunchtime talk offered an exploration of theories of human psychology and group dynamics as they arose in early China and agues that these theoretical understandings have much to offer contemporary practice.

A black and white photograph of a classical statue depicting a bearded man seated, holding a large cornucopia filled with fruits. Natural light filters through a window behind him, highlighting the intricate details of the sculpture.

Agon in the Office – Contests and Gatherings in the Theatre of Work

Jessica Burlingame continues an inquiry begun during her workshop at the Tavistock Institute’s 70th anniversary Festival

A group of people in traditional Middle Eastern attire are sitting in a small boat on a body of water. The background features abstract, textured brushstrokes with shades of red, blue, and green, evoking a dynamic, painterly scene.

Losing Political Office

Jane Roberts, author of the book Losing Political Office, brought insights from her new book as possible food for those working, consulting to governance and political systems.

A rusty paperclip attached to a piece of lined paper with handwritten text that reads "NORTH MALABAR." Another paperclip is partially visible in the background.

Eric Miller’s application of an anthropological training to TIHR work

The evolution of Eric Miller’s methodology

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The Experience of Being 70 and over

Dr Mannie Sher kicked off our 2018 lunchtime talk series with his talk ‘Experience of Being 70 and over — an overview of the group relations conference’.

Close-up of several spools of white thread neatly arranged on a wooden rack in a textile or weaving workshop. The foreground is slightly blurred, giving a focus on the texture and alignment of the threads.

Evaluating a values-based business ecosystem

The case of the Textiles and Clothing Business Labs

Two booklets titled "Settling Down in Civvy Street" from the Civil Resettlement Units. The covers are simple with green text and a border. The left booklet is slightly faded, and the right one is labeled "Mark II.

What is restored to the picture by delving into the Tavistock archive?

Alice White’s lunchtime talk provides insight into the people, processes, challenges and opportunities behind the Civil Resettlement Units of the 1940s.

A group of thirteen people in military attire, sitting and kneeling outdoors on grass, posing for a black and white photo. Trees are visible in the background. The mood appears relaxed and informal.

Psychoanalysis Goes to War (Eventually)

A prehistory of the Tavistock Institute.

How ‘Human Relations’ Got Its Name

The Journal as Boundary Object