What do you think?
Rate this book
The OK Boss
Book by James, Muriel
153 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1975
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
July 1, 2019
I must have read Eric Berne's Games People Play twice. It was one of my introductions to theories in psychology, and I liked how transactional analysis was a pragmatic approach to psychology in daily life. Other psychologists have iterated the importance of authenticity in daily life, and Berne was no exception. He described games as a ritualistic, repetitive activity that usually results in hurt feelings all around. However, people play these because they are familiar with the payoffs: one axiom in TA is that it is better to get negative strokes (negative attention) rather than no attention at all. This is why people play these games.
Much better than games with regard to producing positive feelings and growth is intimacy. Intimacy is the relationship borne of an authentic connection between two people that minimizes game-playing and manifests sincerity and honesty between the people who possess it. Berne advises us to achieve this intimacy with the people close to us, and James advocates the same thing.
Extending Berne's general theory to dealing with superiors and subordinates, The OK Boss describes styles of people dealing with subordinates as superiors, and shows that there are good sides and bad sides to each style. The good "boss" adjusts according to his subordinates, and even though he may have a preferred style, tries to recognize the other (employee or dependent) as another OK individual.
Reading books like these allow me to recognize my own faults as a person. James also encourages self-analysis with regard to one's styles in order to stay authentic to oneself without playing the destructive TA games. I think I'm an Analyst: before I entered medicine, I was a Computer, being unforgiving of other people's little faults, but I'm slowly moving towards being a more OK communicator: at the bottom of every task is a person who is going to perform it. By understanding the person behind the task, effective and efficient work can be promoted: mistakes can be addressed without punitive measures, and I noticed that workplace morale is much better.
This is a short and good book.
Much better than games with regard to producing positive feelings and growth is intimacy. Intimacy is the relationship borne of an authentic connection between two people that minimizes game-playing and manifests sincerity and honesty between the people who possess it. Berne advises us to achieve this intimacy with the people close to us, and James advocates the same thing.
Extending Berne's general theory to dealing with superiors and subordinates, The OK Boss describes styles of people dealing with subordinates as superiors, and shows that there are good sides and bad sides to each style. The good "boss" adjusts according to his subordinates, and even though he may have a preferred style, tries to recognize the other (employee or dependent) as another OK individual.
Reading books like these allow me to recognize my own faults as a person. James also encourages self-analysis with regard to one's styles in order to stay authentic to oneself without playing the destructive TA games. I think I'm an Analyst: before I entered medicine, I was a Computer, being unforgiving of other people's little faults, but I'm slowly moving towards being a more OK communicator: at the bottom of every task is a person who is going to perform it. By understanding the person behind the task, effective and efficient work can be promoted: mistakes can be addressed without punitive measures, and I noticed that workplace morale is much better.
This is a short and good book.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review