Leveraging the power of Alternative Interventions in Coaching – a Transactional Analysis perspective

By: Kalpana Tatavarti

As change catalysts, Executive Coaches have to enable Coachees to develop newer ways of thinking, feeling or acting (cognitive, affective or behavioural change).

To enable this, a key skill in Coaches is the ability to understand and articulate human behaviour, thoughts & feelings. Since this human behaviour is couched in an organisational context, a sound grasp of group dynamics is obviously essential.

In other words, Executive Coaches need a sound understanding of the theory of human behaviour and also familiarity with the use of the right techniques that can enable change.

Transactional Analysis (TA)

Transactional Analysis as a ‘theory of personality’ provides a framework to understand and articulate human behaviour in relation to groups; as a ‘theory of social intercourse’, it also provides a set of tools and techniques to enable change. The “underlying philosophy is one of mutual self respect and caring”, which encapsulates CFI’s Coaching values.

This article seeks to outline how Coaches can use some elements of TA to understand human behaviour and also how to use some of the techniques of TA to enable change in their Coachees.

TA was developed by Eric Berne and deals with several aspects of human behaviour: Ego states, which is a structural analysis of personality; Transactions & Strokes which look at communication patterns; Scripts, the analysis of specific life dramas that persons compulsively play out; Life Positions, attitudes with reference to others/the world; Games, Ulterior Transactions played for specific payoffs. Naturally, a discussion of all the above elements is beyond the scope of this article. I will limit myself to how the Ego States model can be used as a framework for understanding human behaviour and as a technique to enable change.

Ego States

A framework of personality & a technique to catalyse behaviour change

According to Berne, all personalities are made up of three ego states – Parent, Adult & Child. At any given point in time, a person operates in one of the three distinct ego states. (The parent and child are subdivided into two each, making it five behaviour styles). All three ego states are important for a healthy personality. 

The Three Ego states can be defined as follows:

The Parent Ego state contains the attitudes and behaviour incorporated from external sources, primarily parents. Outwardly, it often is expressed toward others in prejudiced, critical behaviours or nurturing behaviours. Inwardly, it is experienced as old Parental messages which continue to influence the inner Child.

The Adult Ego state is not related to a person’s age. It is oriented to current reality and the objective gathering of information. It is organised, adaptable, intelligent, and functions by testing reality, estimating probabilities, and computing dispassionately.

The Child Ego state contains all the impulses that come naturally to an infant. It also contains the recordings of the child’s early experiences, responses, and the ‘positions’ taken about self and others. It is expressed as ‘old’ (archaic) behaviour from childhood.

Case Illustration

A client was advised to investigate a private school for his son. When he reported his findings about the school where the teaching was informal and creativity encouraged, three distinct reactions were easily observable. First, he scowled and said, “I can’t see how anyone could learn anything at that school. There’s dirt on the floor!” Leaning back in the chair, his forehead smoothed out as he reflected, “Before I decide, I think I should check on the school’s scholastic rating and talk to some of the parents.” The next minute, a broad grin crossed his face, and he said, “Gee, I’d love to have gone to a school like that!” – Muriel James.ET.AL,1971

Let’s take the example of AK, the head of a Business Unit in a large consumer products company. When AK is ticking off her team member for not meeting his KRAs or setting limits/rules for the performance of a task, she is operating out of her Controlling Parent ego state (CP). When she is providing comfort for failure and support for better performance, she is operating out of her Nurturing Parent(NP).

When she identifies the reasons for the poor performance and problem solves to ensure there is no repeat, she is operating out of her Adult ego state (A). When AK boisterously invites her team to enjoy a celebratory party for a successful completion or creatively finds an out of the box solution to a knotty problem, she is operating out of her Free child (FC). Finally, when she is adhering to organisational policies to ensure that tasks are completed or when she is complying with the expectations of others, AK is operating out of her Adapted Child (AC).

Thus, the ego states are sources of thoughts & feelings, manifested by corresponding patterns of behaviour, accompanied by typical verbal & non verbal signals. And each of us has all the ego states available to us as a repertoire. In most cases, though, we operate from only one or two predominant ego states that we draw from, which isn’t consciously chosen or wielded.

Behaviour Styles Table

BS	Description	Behavioural clues	Typical remarks**
CP (Controlling Parent)	Filled with opinions, conclusions, statements, judgments Critical of others, know it all. firmness, laying boundaries, rules Can be bossy & overbearing	Pointed finger, legs apart, arms folded across chest, wagging finger, patronising or critical tone	"You must keep in touch with all your   ex bosses" "Don't trust this guy. he's always smiling" "I think you should get everything in writing. i'm telling you for your own good" "All Politicians are corrupt"
NP (Nurturing Parent)	Caring, sympathetic, comforting, helping, supportive, reassuring Can be smothering and over protective	Arm or hand on a person's shoulder, encouraging expression, leaning forward towards the other person, concerned or caring tone of voice	"Don't get so upset. your boss will forget it in a day" "You've been working so hard. i thought i'd get you some chocolate to cheer you up." "Are you new? come i'll introduce you around"
A (Adult)	Fact based, responds primarily tothe here & now, logical,  reality testing, Solution focused, problem solving	Relaxed, erect shoulders; direct eye contact; calm & rational; discussing probabilities; open gestures	"Can we talk this thru?" "Let's solve this problem" "Why did this happen? Can we do this another way?"
AC (Adapted Child)	Polite, courteous, adapting, doing the right thing, find it difficult to refuse unreasonable demands from colleagues  & customers restrained, afraid to show off, especially polite(sometimes over polite) to customers & senior managers	Sitting very still, fidgeting nervously, eyes downcast, looking out from under eyelashes, inattentive or very attentive	"I wish i could …" Lots of 'please' and 'thank you' "Everyone says we shouldn't work on weekends"
FC (Free Child)	Affectionate, curious, enthusiastic, high energy, expressive, friendly, open, creative, quick display of feelings humour, frustration, happiness	Unselfconscious, head to one side, sitting or standing comfortably	"Come on!  let's go and watch a movie!" "Why don't we start a mobile office?" "I am so angry with the politicians"

How Ego States can be used in Coaching

For the Executive Coach, the model facilitates recognition of behaviour patterns & styles that the Coachee is operating from; this throws light on several aspects of the Coachee’s personality which can feed into Coaching goals and in some cases, can be the Coaching goals.

SS, CFO in a multinational organisation began the Coaching discussions with the need to improve his performance & productivity. He maintained that his stress levels were very high and that this has impacted his performance and deliverables. Upon deeper inquiry, we found that the stress was caused by the demands of several business units which competed for his time constantly. The problem statement emerged as his inability to refuse unreasonable demands on his time, as well as his hesitation to be ‘unpopular’.

We completed a 360 degree and gathered feedback from his stakeholders, the results of which tied in with our (Coach & Coachee) own assessment of the Coachee’s primary source of behaviour as ‘Adapted Child’. We used an ego gram to map the behaviour pattern, which expectedly showed a high bar on Adapted Child. One of the Coaching goals were then identified as strengthening his Critical Parent (to set rules & limitations) and Adult (to engage in problem solving with stakeholders rather than concede to their demands), and reducing the Adapted child and Nurturing Parent.

The strength of the model for the Executive Coach lies in its simplicity and comprehensiveness. The ego states model can thus facilitate the Coach & Coachee in recognising Coachee’s behaviour patterns/styles and also provide a framework for guiding their change agenda. It can be used specifically in Coaching agendas when leadership style is the key ingredient.

It must however be cautioned that the ego states must be used more as a means to understand the Coachee and should not be used to label the Coachee because that would go against our belief of respect and our faith in the Coachee as a “becoming person.”

References

1. Claude Steiner(1974), Scripts People Live, Grove Press, New York.
2. Eric Berne(1961), Transactional Analysis in Psychotherapy, Grove Press,Inc.New York, Evergreen Books Ltd.London.
3.  Eric Berne(1964), Games People Play , Ballantine Books, New York.
4.  Eric Berne(1972), What Do You Say After You Say Hello? Corgi Books, London.
5. Ian Stewart & Vann Joines(1987),TA Today, Lifespace Publishing, Nottingham and Chapel Hill.
6. Julie Hay (1992), Transactional Analysis for Trainers, McGraw Hill Book Company, London.
7. Muriel James & Dorothy Jongeward (1971), Born To Win, Signet, New York

Kalpana Tatavarti is a CEO Coach , Consultant, Trainer and TA specialist based in Bangalore