The Tavistock Learning Group

'Reading this new book from Hazell and Kiel was very stimulating. Its wide-ranging and deep consideration of learning groups will be useful to those new to the theory underpinning Tavistock, or Group Relations, conference work, as well as those who have spent many years exploring it. The intersections between Tavistock learning groups, encounter groups, and therapeutic groups illuminate a rigorous focus on the "boundary regions" among these types of groups and supports further research and potential enhancements to all types of group learning models. In addition, the application of Lacan's discourse model to seeingmore fully what may be happening in learning groups, the discussion of what could/should serve as relevant data for understanding unconscious dynamics as these emerge in service of learning or not, the "remembering with the body", and the exploration of "partnering" in group consultation work, all provide opportunity for deepening our ability to understand and develop greater skills for effectively supporting learning in Tavistock and other forms of learning groups. My thanks to the authors.'- Charla Hayden, organizational consultant'This book is a must-read for group and organizational scholars and researchers, for organizational consultants whose thinking is informed by psychodynamic and socio-technical ideas, and for even very experienced Tavistock Group Relations Learning Conference consultants and staff members. There is much to be learned from this very sophisticated scholarly text by these and related audiences. Using core Tavistock Group Relations concepts, Hazell and Kiel creatively and brilliantly demonstrate how these ideas push the boundaries on these topics in a manner that can enhance our understanding of a subset of non-Tavistockdynamic and non-dynamic psychological and social sciences theories and research findings. They go on to present a series of unique and remarkably thoughtful and creative explorations of Tavistock Group Relations ideas and several surprising more traditional topics.'- Solomon Cytrynbaum, PhD, Professor Emeritus, School of Education and Social Policy and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University