Interpersonal Behavior

in
Organizations
Jibon Kumar Sharma Leihaothabam
Professor
MIMS, Manipur University
 Interpersonal Needs Perspective
• William C. Schutz suggests that three basic
interpersonal needs constitute the driving
force behind all interpersonal behaviour.
These are the needs for inclusion, control and
affection.
 The Interpersonal Needs Perspective
• Inclusion
– Undersocial
– Oversocial
– Adaptable-social
INCLUSION
Expressed inclusion I Join with others and ask others
to join with me

Wanted inclusion I want others to ask me to join

them
CONTROL
Expressed control I influence and decide for others

Wanted control I want others to influence and

control me

AFFECTION
Expressed affection I act toward others in a close and
personal way

Wanted affection I want others to be close and

personal towards me
 Transactional Analysis
• Transactional Analysis combines the
approaches of the Schutz and Leary models by
looking at both the internal states of
individual (ego states) and their outward
behaviour towards each other (transactions).
• Eric Berne, who developed the model
indentifies three ego states: The Parent, The
adult and the Child
 Three types of Transactions
• Complementary transactions: May involve the
same ego states in both parties or different
ones.
• A complementary transaction seeks to remedy
what one or both parties perceive as lack in
their relationship. And the transaction need
not be pleasant or agreeable.
 Three types of Transactions
• Crossed transactions: Occur when an ego state
that is active in one party is not the ego state
being addressed by the other party.
• Crossed transactions are less stable than
complementary ones. The parties typically
either withdraw from each other fairly quickly,
or shift to a complementary transaction.
 Three types of Transactions
• Ulterior transactions: Differ from the other
two in that they contain a hidden agenda.
 Eg (1): Complementary Transactions
• Manager: I don’t recall seeing the June report
yet
• Staff Member: I’ve just finished it, here it is.
Eg (1): Complementary Transactions
Parent Parent

Adult Adult

Child Child
 Eg (2): Complementary Transactions
• Manager: Your reports should never be this
late
• Staff Member: Yes, sir. I’ll do my best to be
better from now on.
Eg (1): Complementary Transactions
Parent Parent

Adult Adult

Child Child
 Eg (1): Crossed Transactions
• Manger: Is the June report finished yet?
• You’re always rushing me; how can I work
under all this pressure?
 Eg (1): Crossed Transactions
Parent Parent

Adult Adult

Child Child
 Eg (2): Crossed Transactions
• Manager: You know, people just don’t seem to
work hard the way they used to
• Staff Manager: I’m not so sure. I notice a lot of
hard working people today.
 Eg (2): Crossed Transactions
Parent Parent

Adult Adult

Child Child
 Eg (1): Ulterior Transaction
• Staff Member: Here’s my report. I’ve been
working on it hard all weekend
• Manager: Alright.
 Eg (1): Ulterior Transaction
Parent Parent

Adult Adult

Child Child
 The Transaction Perspective
• Interpersonal behaviour is not only pushed by
internal needs. People also pull behaviour
from each other.
• Timothy Leary called this phenomenon as
“interpersonal reflex”
• Leary explained interpersonal reflex by
classifying interpersonal behaviour around
tow axes: dominance-submission; hostility-
affection
 The Interpersonal Reflex

• Affection encourages affection and hostility

provokes hostility in return
 The Interpersonal Reflex

• Submissive behavior by one person is a bid for

dominance by the other, and vice versa.
 Communication Rules
• Constructive rules
– Tell what a certain behavior means
 Communication Rules
• Regulative rules
– Tell us what we should and should not do.
 Positional Relationships
• Superior-Subordinate Relationships
 Positional Relationships
• Peer Relationships
 Positional Relationships
• Serial Relationships
 Cross Cultural Work Relationship
• Individualism/Collectivism
 Cross Cultural Work Relationship
• Power distance
 Cross Cultural Work Relationship
• Uncertainty avoidance
 Cross Cultural Work Relationship
• Masculinity/feminity
 Maladaptive Relationships
• Flawed relationships often exists
 Maladaptive Relationships
• Disconfirmation
– One or both of the parties feel the relationship to
be unprofitable exchange
 Maladaptive Relationships
• Paradox
– When people send self contradictory messages

IGNORE THIS SIGN

 Maladaptive Relationships
• Lockstep Reciprocals
– Reciprocal, mutually satisfying relationships are an
important source of stability in people’s lives, yet,
once established, they become difficult to break
out of, even when they prevent development and
change.
– Difficult to break out
– May prevent development and change
 Maladaptive Relationships
• Unstated Contracts
– Parties develop assumptions and expectations
about each other that they are not fully aware of
Adapting and Improving Relationships
• Four specific things the parties can do to
improve interposal situation :
1. Make effective use of exposure and feedback
2. Talk about the communication process
3. Deal directly with disagreements
4. Encourage the exercise of choice
 Using exposure and feedback
• Johari Window
 Johari Window
Who Developed
• Joseph Luft
• Harry Ingham
 Exposure and Feedback
• Exposure
– Occurs when a person reveals things he or she
knows to another person.
• Means of building trust and legitimizing mutual
exposure
• Feedback
– Takes place when one person actively solicits
information unique to the other.
 Expanding the ”Arena”
• The “Arena” becomes enlarged through
exposure and feedback
 Addressing the process of
communication
• Parties can both maintain and improve their
relationship by talking about it.
• The kind of discussion has been called
metacommunication or communication about
communication.
Dealing directly with disagreement
• In disagreement reveal as much as possible
relevant thoughts and feelings
 Exercising Choice
• Relationships are likely to improve when the
parties do not always say. “You (and others)
make me act as I do,” but begin to say, “I
behave the way I do because I choose to.”