Transactional Analysis Journal

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How is Transactional Analysis Being Used in the Organizational Context?

Francis L. Ulschak and Glenda Sorum
Transactional Analysis Journal 1981 11: 203
DOI: 10.1177/036215378101100303

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 How is Transactional Analysis Being Used
In the Organizational Context?
Francis L. Ulschak
Glenda Sorum
Abstract
Analyzed frequency, topic, journal, and
publication year of articles about uses of
transactional analysis in organizations.
Computer searches of TA references in
management/administration journals
from 19731980 identified 87 articles. The
two major themes of 27 listed were general
introductions to TA and the use of TA in
communication skill training. Twenty-eight
different journals published at least one
article on TA during the period covered. A
1976 peak in number of articles published
is noted.
Introduction
How is transactional analysis being used
in organizations? This simple enough ques-
tion grew into a research project that now
also asks: What is being written about the
usage of TA in organizations and where
is it being written, i.e. what journals. Our
assumption is that what is being published
about TA will reflect the "state of art"
as to how it is being used.
This paper focuses on our preliminary
work. First we will discuss the source of
our data. Hopefully, that will leave, you,
the reader, with a clear understanding of
our source of information. Second, we will
report the present status of three questions:
1. What is being written about the
organizational uses of transactional
analysis in various organizational
journals?
2. Where is the information being
published, what journals?
3. What is the extent (frequency) of
the publications?
Vol. 11, No.3, July 1981
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Third, and lastly, we will reflect briefly
on the material we are finding. We are
setting a data base that will be inclusive of
not only the references we presently have
but material which has appeared in the
TA journal and current books on TA in
organizations.
DataBase
The specific data base for this project
is ADI/INFORM. ADI was created in 1971
to answer specific information needs of
business, industry, and educational institu-
tions with regard to topics of specific
interest in management/administration.
Presently, ADI contains material from
400 primary management/administrative
journals. And, beginning in 1979, 135
journals were abstracted in their entirety.
This means the system currently has 88,000
articles abstracted and this number grows
at the rate of 1900per month. Information
is retrieved from the system in an anno-
tated bibliography form with a full citation.
We used this system as our data base for
a computer search using the words "Trans-
actional Analysis." Our basic assumption
was (and is) that a search using these access
words and this extensive data base should
provide a clear picture of the use of TA in
organizations.
It is important to note that the search
has thus far been conducted in manage-
ment/administrative journals for material
published on TA. We have not yet put
together the data using TA sources, i.e.
the TAl.
The results of our search in non-TA
sources is a total of 90 articles from 1973
to 1980. Of these, 86 represent direct
applications of TA to organizations.
203
FRANCIS L. ULSCHAK AND GLENDA SORUM

Findings mentioned communication in passing, we

Our interest initially was to answer the would only list it under MBO. If however,
two questions. (l) how is TA being used MBO and communications were both given
within organizations, and (2) what journals a significant emphasis, we would include
are publishing material. Since then, a third both in the frequency count.
question has arisen-what is the yearly As can be seen from the listing, TA is
frequency of material being published? being used in a number of ways in the
The findings from our 86 articles are sum- organizational setting. The most frequent
marized in this section. type of article is the "general TA" article.
a. How is TA being used within organi- Typically, this type of article introduces
zations? TA to the readers of the journal. The usual
To get at this question, we did a content discussion refers to ego states, games,
analysis of the 86 references we have. We scripts, transactions, etc. The intent of the
went to each article and asked the ques- article is to discuss TA not integrate TA
tion-How is TA being used here? From with some other organizational concept.
that list, we formed Table 1. The "communication" articles are some-
what different. Here TA concepts are being
used to provide specific communication
Frequency skills. Instead of "Here is TA" the approach
General TA (problem solving/ is-"Here is how TA may assist you with
personal awareness) 13 communication." The same is true of the
Communications 10
Management byObjectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 8
rest of the list. For example, MBO. Typi-
sales and Marketing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 8 cally the discussions involve how TA may
Management Development 7 be used to create more effective MBO. The
Corporate Success Stories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5 focus becomes TA usage integrated with
Motivational Tool 3 some organizational or management
Bank Usage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 3
Performance Appraisal 2 concept.
Customer Relations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2 One of the interesting categories is
career Planning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2
Systems Design 2
"Corporate Success Stories." These are
Organizational Development 2 articles discussing general TA use in organi-
Work Group Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2 zations and the success the organization
Employee Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2 has experienced in its use. Examples include
True Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2 McDonalds, Harris Bank, and 3-M.
Supervisory Training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2
Creativity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2 Table 1, then, summarizes the major
Organizational Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2 context areas of the 86 articles which came
Stress work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1 from our search.
Team Building. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1
Accounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1 b. Where do the publications appear?
Successful Meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1 Our second question was mainly
Operation Research. . .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . . . . . . . ... 1 interested in the type of journal in which
Labor Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1 articles were appearing. Table 2 (on the
Engineering Teams 1
Insurance Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1
next page) summarizes this information.
87
Again there is a wide range of journals
which have been involved in publishing at
Table 1
least one article. The two most frequent
journals are Training and Development
Journal and Supervisory Management.
Table 1 simply reflects the frequency It is interesting to note the top five
with which a topic appeared in the articles. journals mentioned are oriented toward
Only major themes were considered. Con- the practitioners in the field. TA, as fitting
sequently, if an article talked mainly about with its heritage, has practical applications.
TA and Management by Objectives and c. What is the frequency of articles?

204 Transactional AnalysisJournal

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 HOW IS TA BEING USED IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

9 Training & Development Journal Breakdown

9 Supervisory Managern"~' Per Year
4 Management
4 Training 1980 ..
4 Personnel 1979 6
4 Personnel Journal 1978 15
2 Manchester Business School Review (UK) 1977 15
2 Canadian Banker Review & ICB Review (Canada) 176 21
2 Journal of Systems Management 1975 9
2 Personnel Management (UK) 1974 12
2 Advanced Management Journal 1973 7
2 Optimum
Tofal 86
2 International Management
2 Meetings & Conventions
2 Business Week Table 3
2 Bank Administration
1 Datamation
1 AilETransactions Perhaps, the significant observation for
1 Management International Review
1 Transactional Analysis
us was the obvious peaking in 1976and the
1 RIA Cost & Management (Canada) drop off since then. Figure 1 illustrates that.
1 Industrial and Commercial Training (UK)
1 Successful Meeting
1 Academy of Management Review 22
1 Sales & Marketing Management
1 ABCA Bulletin 20
1 Journal of Business Communications 18
1 Administrative Management
1 Management World 0
c:: 16
1 Rough Notes 0
:;::
1 Intertaces 1'0 14
.~
1 Marketing Times :is
1 SM/Successful Meetings = 12
~
1 Management Review
1 IEEE Transaction onEng. Management 'S 10
~

1 Journal ofAdvertising G:I

.a 8
1 Industrial Management E
1 California Management Review z= 6
1 Best's Review L/H
1 The Business Quarterly (Canada) 4
1 Nation's Business
1 Atlanta Economic Review 2
1 Hospital Financial Management
0
1 Dunn's
1 Industry Week 80 79 78 77 76 75 74 73
1 Modern Office Procedures Years
1 Conference Board Record
1 Agency Sales w/ Agent & Rep.
Figure 1
86
Table 2
Journal Frequencies Comments
The frequency of articles came at a later Again, we are in the early phase of a
time in our questioning. And, it grew out project in which we will continue addressing
of an observation of our incoming data. the question of how TA is actually being
Table 3 summarizes the articles per year. used in organizations. However, we have
The data for 1980 was through June of some observations at this point.
1980. So, this does not clearly represent 1. We are impressed with the wide
1980, but the trend does appear to be a range of TA uses. Table 1 pro-
downward one, since 1977. vides this perspective.
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FRANCIS L. ULSCHAK AND GLENDA SORUM
2. We are interested in exploring
what the drop off in TA articles
represents. Did TA applications
drop off? Did persons simply stop
writing about what they are doing?
Did journals stop accepting articles?
Our speculation is that part of the mean-
ing in the drop off of articles is the "aware-
ness" phase is over. The general "intro to
TA" articles are past. Now is the time for
applications. Another way of saying it is-
the fad is over, and now the test is on.
Our interest has been kindled. And we
intend to continue monitoring our data
base to see if any trends become discern-
able.
206
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Summary
This paper has summarized the work we
have done so far in attempting to answer
the question-How is TA being used in
organizations? Our intent is to keep this an
ongoing working paper monitoring TA use
in organizations.
Francis L. Ulschak, PhD, eM, is asso-
ciate professor at the School of Business,
University of South Dakota, Vermillion,
South Dakota.
Glenda Sorum is a business student at
the School ofBusiness, University ofSouth
Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota.
Transactional AnalysisJournal