Transactional Analysis and Leadership

Ego State: What is it? Developed by Eric Berne in 1950s Core model to extract insights about the psychology of people A vital component of Transactional Analysis The ego state model says that we can understand our inside world as consisting of three different areas which are called the parent ego state, the adult ego state and the child ego state.

The Ego state Model Parent Ego State Adult Ego State Child Ego State

The Ego state Model A. Parent Ego State: Influenced from parents/parental figures including older siblings B. Adult Ego State: Behaviour, feelings are a direct response to the here and now and who you are as an adult C. Child Ego State: Behaviour and feelings from ‘child’ in us (different ages) and time lived now

A. Parent Ego state Types of parents based on Ego state: 1. Critical Parent 2. Nurturing Parent

A. Parent Ego state: Critical Parent Firm, Direct Questioning Guiding Praising Genuinely Disagreeing Disciplining Threatening Ridiculing Scolding Admonishing Blaming General Behaviour

Thoughts & Feelings: Thoughts: Do, Don’t, Good, Bad, Always, Never, Ought, I know the best, Right or Wrong, Must Feelings: Self righteous, Intolerant, Demanding

A. Parent Ego state: Nurturing Parent Reasoning Caring, Loving Encouraging Agreeing Listening Let Me Clinging Falsely Encouraging Not Agreeing Poor boy General Behaviour

Thoughts: Work hard, Do your best, Everything will be Ok, Don’t give up, Never give up Feelings: Protective, Loving, Caring, Encouraging

B. Adult Ego state General Behaviour: Knowledge Comprehending Receiving Remembering facts Interpreting Checking For Truth Discriminating

General Behaviour: Re-organizing Unifying data Options Probabilities Assumptions Weighing pros-cons Extrapolating ADULT EGO STATE

Voice & Body language: QuietAlertPleasant Smile Slightly Forward Leaning Clear straight gazing Unprejudiced Air

Words used: I understandI rememberWhat?When? Why? How?Here & Now I decided toSuppose HoweverThe information I have is One way of explaining Another way of looking at CorrectPracticalAlternativeCalm

Thoughts: Who, what, why, when, where, executive between child & parent, develop alternatives, estimate probabilities, make decisions Feelings: Feelings transferred from child to adult via emancipated adult, realist, direct and authentic

C. Child Ego state Types of children based on Ego state: 1. Natural free child 2. Adapted child

C. Child Ego state: Natural/Free child a. Fun Loving SpontaneousActiveCurious ExcitedHighly energetic Happy, playful LaughterShoutingMusical voice

b. Uncontrolled ExuberantImpulsive Demands gratificationRebellious Diverts attentionDistracting StampingDisorganized Greedy, BoastfulImpatient

c. Healthy ImaginativeExciting SexualArtistic ForgetsFostering Wide open eyesIntuitive

Thoughts I want, I can, I wish, Let me Feelings: Fun loving, affectionate, seeks satisfaction and achievement

C. Child Ego state: Adapted Child 1.Socializing AcceptablePlacatingSubmissive ConsiderateRespectfulStroking ObedientCo-operativeConforming

2. Unhealthy SulkyMartyrDestructiveRebellious InactiveStubbornManipulativeRepeats mistakes LethargicCompetitiveGuiltyGamy AnxiousGullibleWhiningWithdrawing

Thoughts Don’t leave me, love me, help me, show me, protect me, I won’t, never, no Feelings: Insecure, dependent, fearful, cautious, affectionate, frustration, anger, rebellion

Egogram A visual representation of the distribution of psychic energy of an individual through his/her functional ego states Different people spend varying amounts of time and energy in different ego states An egogram represents the person’s entire personality

Egogram Egogram based on the constancy hypothesis The amount of psychic energy within a person remains constant One ego state increases in intensity, another must decrease to compensate

Sample Egogram C.P : Critical parent N.P. : Nurturing parent A. : Adult A.C.: Adapted child N.C : Normal child

Ego states & Leadership Personality Child Adult Parent Autocratic Benevolent Consultative Participative Democratic Free rain/ Impulsive

Leadership Behaviour 1.Autocratic leadership: Operates from Parent ego state Very critical towards subordinates Principle of authority Rarely lets subordinate participate in decision making

2. Benevolent-autocratic Nurturing parent ego state Asks for inputs; may/may not be considered Limited freedom for subordinates

3. Consultative leadership: Adult & parent ego states Presents ideas, invites questions and considers inputs Moderate opportunities for subordinates to participate in setting goals and plans Environment encourages problem solving and decisions based on facts

4. Participative leadership Adult ego state Great deal of freedom to subordinates Leader and subordinates jointly set goals, objectives and course of action Self control and self development; Integration of individual and organizational needs

5. Democratic leadership Adult & child ego states Less authority High freedom to subordinates Consensus based decision making

6. Free rein/ permissive leadership Child ego state Decision making left largely to subordinates Minimum authority – Maximum freedom Subordinates not accountable for results Impulsive decision making

Effective leadership using TA “An effective manager recognizes his own ego states, those of subordinates, and those demanded by the situation.”

No single best leadership style Need to recognize ego states of subordinates and adapt leadership according to the situation Transactional analysis gives insights into our leadership style and helps to develop skills according to it Adult ego state needs to be strengthened the most Effective leadership using TA

Organizational Culture as Consisting of Three levels 1. Behavior and artifacts level: (Physical layout of work environments, dress, Organization culture as driver, codes, and levels of technology, the attitudes and behaviors of the people) 2. Espoused values of an organization: These values may be different from operating values. 3. Level of assumptions and beliefs: essence of culture, beliefs and assumptions that become shared and taken for granted as the organization continues to be successful.

Culture includes –laws, –rules and –systems –as well as language, –history, formal and informal practices, –beliefs and rituals. It is the means of inducing any sort of behavior in the organization” and “is a vehicle for imparting and maintaining the moral principles and the values that govern life in the organization” Hartman (1996)

Primary Embedding Mechanisms of Organization Culture 1. What leaders pay attention to, measure, and control on a regular basis. Consistency, not only intensity matters Both positive and negative signals are equally important

2. How leaders react to critical incidents and organizational crises: Crises means great deal of attention and emotional involvement, Manner in which leaders and others deal with it creates new norms, values, and working procedures, Reveals important underlying assumptions

3. How leaders allocate recourses, rewards and status: If the founders or leaders are organization culture as driver, trying to ensure that their values and assumptions will be learned, they must create a reward, promotion and status system that is consistent with those assumptions.

4. Deliberate role modeling, teaching and coaching: Informal messages are the more powerful teaching and coaching mechanism. The informal examples appear to bring the leader closer to the subordinates.

5. How leaders recruit, select, promote and excommunicate: Founders and leaders establish this culture base in the organization by hiring and advancing those they perceive as having the values they want, and by eliminating those they consider as having undesirable value base.