TITLE : TA AND TRAINING: THE THEORY AND USE OF TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS IN ORGANISATIONS.

Preface

My aim in writing this book has been two-fold. First to share with fellow professionals my experiences in and my enthusiasm for transactional analysis (TA). TA has emerged over the last decade from its confines as an alternative approach to therapy, for application within a relatively narrow section of society, to a wider acceptance and application with a broader public, namely those in full-time employment in a whole range of organisations. During the last four years I have been deeply involved in and committed to this development. My commitment is based on a personal belief that TA has a significant contribution to make in improving the effectiveness and satisfaction of relationships at work, the health of organisations and the abilities of managers, supervisors and indeed all employees to cope with changing social conditions.

My second aim has been to help fill a gap in the range of books on the subject. There are many based in the original setting of TA, but unfortunately many trainers are put off by TA therapy books, and their organisations even more so. There are some designed for use by managers, but with the exception of Carby and Thakur's Transaclional Analysis al Work there is little available for trainers and associated professionals. This book has been written with such people in mind.

The text comprises a basic introduction to the theory (Chapters 1-10) and an overview of its application, including a number of pertinent training situations (Chapters 11-19). As far as the theory chapters are concerned, the material is by no means all-inclusive. NotDnly does the subject extend further and deeper than presented here but also lack of space prevents the consideration of such areas as miniscript theory and Berne's view of groups. However, the theory is, I hope, more than enough to begin with. The chapters on applications do not give detail on all the possible areas of use for TA, but (with a few exceptions) cover those that I can describe from first-hand experience as a trainer. The training programmes referred to also vary in the extent of the contribution from TA. I would like to make special mention of Chapter 10, 'TA and other approaches to psychology' (something of a philosopher's interlude); Chapter 1 1, 'The goals of TA and its application in training' (linking aims of TA to its application in training); and Chapter 19, 'Evaluation, limits and benefits'.

Throughout the writing of the book and after its completion I have had recurring thoughts on what could be changed, better presented, removed, added and so on. Consequently, in the manner of a request to the reader (and also in the best training tradition) I welcome any constructive feedback that anyone cares to share with me.

In the process of writing this book, many people have supported and encouraged me with their time, ideas and work, both directly and indirectly. First and foremost, I am deeply grateful to my wife, Tina, whose help was fundamental to carrying out the task in the first place. My thanks also go to Margaret Turpin, my supervisor in my studies for Special Fields Membership of the International Transactional Analysis Association. She helped me not only by encouraging my growth and learning in TA, but also by supporting me in taking a break from those studies whilst writing this book. My thanks also to all those clients and participants on training courses and workshops where I have introduced and used TA. Their willingness to receive, experience and explore TA for themselves makes the chapters on application possible.

I am indebted to John Giles, Director, and Robin Evenden, Deputy Director, of Roffey Park Management College for giving me time and resources for completing the book, and also to the secretaries at the College for their patience and hard work during the arduous task of typing these chapters.

As far as direct contributions are concerned, I am particularly thankful to my colleagues, Keri Phillips, for the time he spent formulating, adding to and checking various parts of the book and Neil Clark, for his help in compiling the index and checking the proofs. I am also grateful to Tony Fraser, Ben Bennett and David Roberts (all from the college) for their ideas and contributions; and, from outside the college, to Ron Clements for the material on TA in selling (Chapter 18), Mike Wellin for the work on TA and team building (the last section of Chapter 15) and Gordon Elliott for Figure 11.1. Finally my thanks go to all those, too numerous to mention, who have contributed to my learning and development, both in TA specifically and training generally.

Dave Barker