Researcher / Consultant

David Drabble

I joined the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations in September 2008 and work as a Researcher/ Consultant. My main duties are in supporting the Institute's research projects within the People and Organizations research strand, through data collection, analysis, reviewing literature and input on proposed research projects.

I have extensive research and academic training having completed a BA in Social and Political Studies and an MA in Sociological Research, both from the University of Sheffield. Before joining the Institute I worked as a social scientist consultant in a number of areas in which I still have a keen interest including:

• The effect of technology on organisational culture and civil society
• Food and farming in the context of the growth of the supermarket
• Private organisations' role in social capital production
• The social networks of recent immigrants

Within the Tavistock Institute, my interest in the interface between the social and the technical aspects of work mean that I have been involved in research projects exploring such issues as how online feedback can improve service quality, the role of older workers within an ageing workforce, and empowering citizens through technological methods.

As a sociologist by training, I have a commitment to using sociological theories to understand practices: Bauman's theory of distantiation, Bourdieu's notion of reflexivity and critical theorist perspectives are of particular interest to me. Through recent experience at the Institute I am also interested in exploring the epistemological differences between sociology and psychology, and in understanding organisations as psychological entities. I co-run a reading group at the Institute focused on understanding the Tavistock Institute's conceptual legacy and deepening our understanding of methodological foundations.

To date, I have worked on several projects within the Tavistock Institute:

• an evaluation of the motivation of older staff in the European Commission;
• a DG Employment review of the issues facing in-house trainers across Europe;
• an evaluation of the Vision, Integration and Performance (VIP) management induction programme in the European Commission;
• a ESF project on the EU's Open Method of Coordination;
• a European Commission evaluation of the effectiveness of the new instruments introduced in FP6; an evaluation of the European Employment Service (EURES);
• a service evaluation of web-based feedback mechanisms; an evaluation of the Timely Information for Citizens pilots;
• an evaluation of the European Direct Contact Centres;
• an evaluation of Child Poverty Pilots; and, an evaluation of the current provision and future expansion of Paternity Leave in the EU.