Systems psychodynamics is a framework for understanding the unconscious forces that shape behaviour in organisations, groups and institutions. It holds that beneath the formal structures of any organisation — the strategies, hierarchies and procedures — lie patterns of anxiety, defence and loyalty that strongly influence what people do, and what they cannot bring themselves to do.

Developed through the Tavistock Institute’s post-war research and practice, the approach draws on psychoanalysis, open systems theory, group relations and socio-technical thinking. The term was coined by Tavistock’s Eric Miller in 1993, though the tradition it names reaches back to the 1940s.

Today, systems psychodynamics 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.