Gamesplaying An Obstacle to Cost-Effective Grant Spending

Abstract

According to Dorothy Jongeward, author of Everybody Wins: Transactional Analysis Applied to Organizations,

People play psychological games with one another that are similar to games like Monopoly or checkers. Each has predictable moves and rules. Psychological games, however, are not played for fun . . . . [They] can be a powerful force in preventing people and organizations from becoming winners . . . . Games cost organizations money.¹

A project director claims his daily emergency, “But this time I do need it right away! It’s a rush!”

A grant administrator states peremptorily, “You can’t do that. It’s against regulations. ”

A program officer conspires with a project director: “Well, why don’t you just tell your grant administrator that we can’t give you all the money you asked for? Then she will have to give up some of the indirect. ”