Plotting on Blake Mouton Grid
A=Adult, P= Parent, C= Child
As team leader I want to be more sensitive to the personal and professional challenges facing those I manage or lead. I’d like to aim for the 9,9 described by Jongeward on the Blake-Mouton grid.
- Life Position – the manager is in an I’m ok – You’re OK life position. She is aware that most not-OK situations (which may also cause not-OK feelings) can be reasonably figured out and resolved by her A. She also has experience that this is often true in her relationships with others. Therefore, she gives them opportunities to figure things out, estimate possibilities, and make decisions which affect them directly, because she knows that others can usually employ their A’s when given the opportunity.
- Time Structuring – withdrawal (on the job and in life) receives minimal attention from this manager. She knows the stroking value of rituals and pastimes so she engages in them and gives others the choice to do the same. She is not reluctant, however to interrupt them if they are being used to avoid coping with a priority task problem or interpersonal problem. She is able to use her A to put activities (tasks) into sharp focus (problem definition and objective setting). She feels OK about herself and others so she respects A expertise which others may have regarding a problem. She often uses others as resources. She is aware of the games she plays and for what reasons (to get strokes or to handle not-OK feelings). She generally, however does not save ‘dirty stamps’. She gives others the choice of engaging in games or not and interrupts them only if they are beginning to create serious task and/or interpersonal problems. She often uses authentic encounters to figure out joint solutions to interpersonal problems.
- Problem Solving – The manager is an exceptionally effective problem solver – for both task and interpersonal problems. She uses her emancipated A skillfully when working on problems.
- Transactions and Ego States – Although she often uses her A in transactions, she also is free to use both her P and C since they have been updated by her A. She therefore engages in a rich mix of transactions but with executive authority and protection provided by her A. She is not fearful of crossed transactions (conflict) because she knows most of them can be resolved. Her Natural C often shines through her transactions.
- Stroking – she gives and receives many strokes – through humour, through authentic encounters, through rituals and pastimes, and through her OK regard for others with whom she is transacting.
Jongeward (1976) pp 277-280
I plan to emphasize these positive executive qualities in future leadership roles. Learning to ‘untangle crossed transactions’ in minimal time is a goal promoted by Jongeward. Learn more about it from this site,
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_73.htm