Our story
We’ve been actively exploring human behaviour since 1947 in our radical, artistic, questioning institution.
The roots of our work go even further back.
After World War I, a group of medical professionals who called themselves the Tavistock Group worked with the British Army to help soldiers who had been prisoners during the War to return to civilian life and – equally as importantly – to help their families and communities adjust to having them back.
From connecting with the lives of returning soldiers in the aftermath of war, our work has addressed rapid changes in business management, workplace demographics, and the adoption (or rejection) of new technologies throughout the 20th century.
1951: Optimisation of English mining teams inspires modern Organisation Development (OD)
Socio-technical systems theory born. Semi-autonomous work groups in Yorkshire collieries reduce absenteeism by 20% and inspire a global movement in team design, agile structures and participative work systems—now core to organisational development worldwide.
1957 onwards: Learning revolutionised, global
Group relations conferences revolutionise leadership education. Psychodynamic learning methods spread from Leicester to Harvard, INSEAD and organisations across six continents, equipping leaders to navigate complexity, power and unconscious group dynamics.
1972: Social care transformed, United Kingdom
Disability care reframed. Research at Le Court challenges institutional custody, revealing how unconscious anxieties perpetuate exclusion. Findings help establish the social model of disability, influencing community living and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
1990 onwards: Evaluation innovations, UK and Europe
Evaluation as learning process. The Evaluation Development and Review Unit pioneers participatory and developmental evaluation, reshaping how public programmes are assessed and informing UK and EU policy on social inclusion and community support.
2006: Financial inclusion, South Africa
Financial inclusion meets organisational transformation. Systems psychodynamic intervention at ABSA Bank stabilises leadership during rapid expansion, enabling 4 million previously excluded South Africans to access formal banking services.
2013 – 2016: Public engagement, England
Democratic accountability in healthcare. NHS Citizen initiative applies systems psychodynamic approaches to transform institutional resistance, creating citizens assembly structures that establish new precedents for public participation in major services.
2017 – 2023: Learning and impact, United Kingdom
Women and girls sector strengthened. Learning and impact services build collaborative networks among fragmented organisations, amplifying collective voice and increasing influence on policy and decision-making structures nationwide.
2024: Blueprint for change, Scotland
World-first Just Transition framework. Comprehensive measurement system aligns climate policy with social equity, providing replicable model for ensuring green transition benefits those who need help most, gaining international traction.
Now
We are engaged in the questions facing leaders, workplaces and our globalised societies in the 21st century, improving and deepening insights into the turbulent socio-psychological, communal, and organisational dynamics that affect all of us.
As we have since our founding, we pour ourselves into systems needing or experiencing change, supporting through the gathering of evidence as well as working with not-knowing and uncertainty.
Our support for leaders and change-makers aims to equip them with improved capacity to navigate and influence the conditions in which we live and to improve working life.