Our story
We’ve been actively exploring human behaviour since 1947 in our radical, artistic, questioning institution.
The roots of our work
The roots of our work go back to the period after World War I. A group of medical professionals called 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.
In 1947, the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations was founded to provide a base for organisational consultancy, group relations and research, drawing on ideas that took shape during and after the two World Wars.
The body of work that developed at the Institute and our sister organisations became highly influential, particularly the fusion of psychoanalysis, open systems thinking and group relations later formalised by Eric Miller and A.K. Rice and others.
Seven milestones: transforming work, care and communities with the Tavistock Institute
1951: Optimisation of English mining teams inspires modern Organisation Development (OD)
Socio-technical systems theory is 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 influence
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.
The Tavistock Institute today
Today, the Tavistock Institute continues to carry forward and develop the Tavistock tradition in the social sciences. Our work is not confined to mental health but engages with the full range of human functioning - social, political, communal, organisational, economic, familial and individual.
Through research and evaluation, organisational and culture consultancy, group relations and professional development, the Institute applies and extends Tavistock approaches to the complex challenges facing people, organisations, institutions and societies. We preserve this tradition not as a historical legacy alone, but as a living and evolving body of thought and practice.
There are several separate organisations that share the Tavistock banner with us at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations.
The Tavistock Clinic (founded by the Tavistock Group of medical practitioners that worked with soldiers and families after the first World War) eventually joined the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust and is now part of the North London NHS Foundation Trust, offering clinical services and training in mental health disciplines.
Two further organisations, Tavistock Consulting and Tavistock Relationships, grew out of the post-war Tavistock Clinic community and took their own separate paths. We share some heritage with these organisations but each has its own governance, staff and finances and operates completely separately.