The Games Universities Play (With Apologies to Dr. Berne). Working Paper.

A preliminary study of alternative methods of organizing, managing, and financing computing at the nation's institutions of higher education is explored in the context of transactional analysis. The purpose and contents of the forthcoming final report (designed for university presidents) is described. The games, as intended and defined by the paper, concern themselves with what computing alternatives are considered and what ones are not considered, why they arose in the first place, and how the issue is resolved. The games described briefly in this paper are "Balance of Payments Games", "High Society Game", "Welfare and Proud Poor Game", "Faculty Power Game", and the "Godfather Game", among others. The goal of the paper is to help people understand the institutional dynamics involved in the selection of computing alternatives. (WH)