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?
It 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.
We attend to the anxiety moving through a system, the unspoken rules about authority and power, the history that shapes what can and cannot be said. This is the analytical lens through which we make sense of what we observe.
Why do capable organisations repeatedly undermine their own goals?
Why do experienced leadership teams sometimes lose the capacity to think clearly under pressure?