Case Study: Manager–Employee Conflict
- A sales manager, Ravi, often speaks from his Critical Parent ego state:
- “You always mess up reports; if you don’t improve, there will be consequences,”
- while his team member, Neha, reacts from her Adapted Child state, feeling resentful and withdrawn, and her performance declines further.
- Their transactions are frequently crossed (Parent → Child, then Child → Parent in resistance), leading to ongoing tension and missed deadlines.
Intervention Using Transactional Analysis
- An HR trainer introduces TA in a workshop, helping Ravi see that his criticism is a Parent-to-Child pattern and showing how to switch to Adult–Adult communication:
- “The report had three errors; let’s look at why that happened and what support you need to meet the standard.”
- Neha is coached to respond from her Adult state, discussing workload and clarification needs instead of reacting defensively.
Outcome
- Fewer conflicts
- Better quality reports
- Noticeable improvement in team morale and productivity