‘Open but not blank’: Preliminary fieldwork for exploration of the influence of transactional analysis on internal communication in a case organisation

Internal communication is very important for organisational success, but often undervalued or neglected by leaders. Education in soft skills for managers and employees can help improve internal communication, foster personal and interpersonal abilities and contribute to a healthy organisational climate and culture. Some authors claim that Transactional Analysis (TA) can contribute to organisational improvement. This article explains how the researcher used ‘sensitising concepts’ to inform and orientate early fieldwork activities in a public administration unit in Switzerland. According to Patton (2016), sensitising concepts can be used to lead primary observations in a particular setting. They also provide a starting point for thinking about data and can act as an initial guide to research. In the context of this case study, the researcher sought to enter the field open to discovery but not conceptually blank. Two questions were asked: What sensitising concepts are identifiable in the internal training program booklet and TA courses for 2017? And in what ways do the identified sensitising concepts align with or differ from important mainstream concepts of internal communication? The researcher concentrated on words and meanings in the organisation’s internal training program documents, and found they suggested different ways of organising and relating. A list of six sensitising concepts – optimism, shared responsibility, DIALOGUE, practitioner repertoire of skills, espoused values, personal and professional growth – informed an open framework for the subsequent preparation of questions, interview guides and ways of working across internal communication and TA. The article shows that this loose framework of sensitising concepts has provided a starting point for an exploration of internal communication and TA that promises to enhance understanding of both.