ABSTRACT
In 1948, Eric L. Trist’s mission became a sincere, professional attempt to bring about beneficial change in relations between people at work. After 1947, government funds were available for the Tavistock Institute’s research in the social sciences through the Human Factors Panel under the government’s Committee on Industrial Productivity. In studying social relations between and within work groups, researchers used theory and methods traceable to Wilfred Bion. After March 1950, Rosemary Carey, who was well suited to economics and social research, undertook supervisory teaching; Renee Hurstfield worked on the social communications project funded by the Human Factors Panel, and then temporarily with the Institute until an academic post became available. The Scheme had originally proposed to the Human Factors Panel that urgent consideration be given to methods of encouraging more students of social psychology to become active workers in the field of social research. The Scheme sought the interest and the cooperation of organized labor in this research.
