The role of TIHR for the development of theory and practice in the fields of group relations, organisational development and applied social psychology

Milena Stateva, PhD Senior Researcher/ Consultant at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations spoke about the role of the Tavistock Institute for the development of theory and practice in the fields of group relations, organisational development and applied social psychology.

The presentation was a keynote during the National Scientific-Practical Conference of the Bulgarian Society of Psychologists, entitled 'Group Dynamics, Organisational Development, Applied Social Psychology' during 18-19 December 2015 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Transcript

1. The role of Tavistock Institute for the development of theory and practice in the fields of group relations, organisational development and applied social psychology Milena Stateva, PhD Tavistock Ins5tute of Human Rela5ons 18-19 December, Sofia NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC-PRACTICAL CONFERENCE ‘GROUP DYNAMICS, ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY’
2. Theory and practice in the Tavistock Institute tradition •  The early Tavistock group •  The socio-psychological perspecIve •  The socio-technical perspecIve •  The socio-ecological perspecIve •  35 years theory and pracIce in evaluaIon •  Research, consultancy and evaluaIon at the contemporary insItute
3. Group relations at the Tavistock Institute •  Between the work of Wilfred Bion and today •  Accelerated learning experience •  Authority, role and organisaIon •  Leadership and followership •  The Leicester conference •  2016 conference - the ART of ROLE: TAO of Tavistock
4. The Tavistock Institute Action Learning Space •  DemocraIsaIon of reflecIve spaces •  A contemporary return to Plato’s academia •  Bringing together object relaIons theory, group relaIons, organisaIonal development, arts and applied criIcal theory •  Recovering the status of soul, wondering and reason •  Three sites: London, Kenilworth and Sofia
5. Organisational development at the Tavistock Institute •  Experience in groups •  SelecIon of personnel •  AcIon research •  DemocraIc leadership •  Social structures as defence against anxiety •  The dynamics of change •  Disordered thinking and behaviour as defence against imaginaIon
6. The impact of the psychoanalytic •  Understanding tensions in and between groups •  Work with the client’s dependency •  The value of insights gained in the work with the unconscious •  1940s: Bion’s early work with the military on basic assumpIons in groups •  1960s: Menzies Lyth understanding of insItuIonalisaIon in works with nurses •  1980s: Life apart and Life together – de-insItutaIonalisaIon in the UK •  Contemporary projects: Mental Health in IRCs and NHS CiIzen.
7. Contribution to applied social psychology •  Applying social sciences to contemporary issues and problems •  Social dreaming and dreaming the social •  Role analysis, coaching and supervision •  A system psychodynamic perspecIve on evaluaIon •  EvaluaIon as reflecIve pracIce and the making of a new age evaluator •  Resistance, poliIcs and role in the evaluaIon process •  Blending value-based and evidence-based research •  Two journals: Evalua5on and Human Rela5ons
8. Questions to the audience •  What if the consequences of our acIons and inacIons were eternal? •  Does love mafer in organisaIonal life today? •  Is wondering important in our scienIfic pursuits?