APPLICATION OF TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS WITHIN AN ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT

SYSTEMIC TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS

​I am a Developmental TA Practitioner and I work in the organisational context.  I became qualified in the organisational field, because ultimately, the organisation as a whole commissions my work and pays my fees.  
 
It is important to clarify for ourselves what we are actually doing as a professional, so that we can be clear with our clients.
 

Originally, TA was developed for psychotherapists.  Much of the early developments in the TA literature came from that focus.  The story goes that at the weekly San Francisco seminars the participants gradually came to include, along with the psychotherapists, human resource leaders, teachers, consultants, social workers etc.  Eventually two fields were set up – clinical and special fields.  These eventually became defined as psychotherapy, organisational, educational and counselling fields.
 
The organisational field is often misunderstood and defined differently by different people.
 
DEVELOPMENTAL TA SCHOOLIn 2009 Julie Hay launched the Developmental School.  When the now defunct Institute of Developmental TA (IDTA) was formed, the European Association for Transactional Analysis (EATA) designated the organisational, educational and counselling fields as coming under its umbrella.
 
Developmental TA Practitioners use Developmental TA (DTA) which focusses on health and growth rather than cure.  They aim to work in the here and now with their clients, rather than with regression and transference and aim to decontaminate the Adult ego state.  They take an I’m okay, You’re okay stance and contract from that place, having an awareness of multi-party contracting with multi-level stakeholders.
 
As a DTA Practitioner working in the organisational context, I work with groups, I coach teams and individuals and the effect of what I do is often therapeutic.  The knock-on effect of my teaching often extends to family members I never meet!  I am a teacher, a trainer, a coach, a consultant, a counsellor, a mediator, a management educator.  The organisational field does not define what I do in organisations!
 
Systemic approaches are increasingly spear-heading a move away from an individualistic focus. Family constellation work recognises a systemic approach, in globalisation we can see the systemic influence at work.  Climate-crisis deny-ers refuse to see the systemic nature of the effect of trashing the earth’s resources and individuals are connected to family, friends and neighbours through a system of community.
 
SYSTEMIC TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS  
We work with individuals who are working within a system.  DTA consultants need to be able to hold the micro and the macro perspectives at the same time, not allowing one to swamp the other.  Holding in our minds a systemic approach that encompasses four dimensions and the dynamics within those dimenstions helps us as practitioners to facilitate healthy processes within individuals, teams, departments and for the whole organisation.

Four Dimensions 

• The Personal dimension
• The People dimension 
• The Leadership dimension 
• The Systems dimension 

 
The Personal Dimension
The focus here is on the individual.  The intrapsychic processes which are helped by an understanding of script, ego states, drivers, rackets, strokes, and life positions etc.
 
The People Dimension
Relationships between individuals and within teams.  Once again, ego states and power, drivers and how we clash, psychological games, life positions in relation to others, transactions, contracting etc.
 
The Leadership Dimension
Leaders are important people in organisations.  They give direction, support team members, hold levels of multi-party contracts, coach others etc.  All of the TA concepts featured in the Personal and People Dimensions apply to leaders – and due to the power we naturally instil in leaders, a TA understanding of human behaviour is even more vital for those in this role.  Leaders’ strokes hold more currency than those from peers.  Leaders have a great deal of influence and are not always aware of the responsibilities they hold.  Our work conducted with leaders also means that we as TA practitioners have the power to influence many more people than the group of leaders we are educating – the ripple effect moves through leaders to their teams, their family, their friends.
 
The Systems Dimension
The sum of the parts – the processes between individuals, between teams and departments, what goes on at the boundaries and systems thinking in general (living systems are unpredictable, they are dynamic and change constantly, they are networked, everything is connected etc).
 
Taking in these four dimensions, diagnosing through using observation, asking questions, noting location proximity and stroking patterns etc will enable a DTA Practitioner to fully support the client: the organisation who commissions your services.
 
The four dimensions: personal; people; leadership and systems form a structure and facilitate a plan regardless of the project in front of you.  
 
Organisational work can be very complex, and very challenging – and also very rewarding.