[[Teaming by Amy Edmondson]] Lon Setnik dates:: 2022-12-01 *Frequent, high quality communication consisting of shared goals, shared knowledge, mutual respect results in higher levels of Relational Coordination -> higher quality work output in a virtuous cycle with higher psychological safety.* Relational Coordination is combining three elements to create a strong working relationship and resulting best outcomes - [[Teaming by Amy Edmondson]]: the relationship - [[shared mental model]]: what are we trying to achieve - Task planning: how will we divide the work to best achieve what we are trying to achieve Higher uncertainty, risk, change means relational coordination needs to be more explicit and frequent. Relational coordination is dependent upon [[psychological safety]] and creating events (facilitated meetings, simulation training experiences) and routines ([[Circle Up]], huddles, etc.) that characterize a culture of high-quality RC. However, RC goes beyond psych safety to include the communication domains of creating shared knowledge, shared goals and implements by way of high quality communication and events. An update in 2021 demonstrates that the data now supports two new ideas: - “Relational coordination is strengthened by the presence of crosscutting structures, such as hiring and training for teamwork, shared accountability and reward structures, shared standardized work protocols, shared information systems, and regular team meetings and huddles.” (Bolton et al., 2021, p. 5) - “Relational coordination drives outcomes such as improved quality, increased efficiency, improved worker well-being, and increased learning and innovation.” (Bolton et al., 2021, p. 6) In the world of complex teams with high levels of interdependence and goals of worker wellness and high quality care, RC has been shown to improve all of these elements. [[Leader humility]] and a focus on an organizational [[learning]] [[Mindset]] is closely related to mutual respect being the cultural norm. In this way, [[Systems]] dealing with complex situations can have reinforcement loops where psych safety and routines create reinforcement loops resulting in better and more frequent communication. This results in [[Thinking as a group vs thinking as an individual]], and the features of transactive memory as outlined in [[The Extended Mind]]. ![[CleanShot 2023-02-26 at 21.15.02.jpg]] (Brazil et al., 2019 p. 2) The implementation of RC for a learning environment would be the [[learning leader]] starting with [[using name-claim-aim to create an ad hoc feedback team]] Relational coordination is “According to the theory of relational coordination, coordination that occurs through frequent, high quality communication supported by relationships of shared goals, shared knowledge and mutual respect enables organizations to better achieve their desired outcomes.” (Gittell, p. 3) This differs from just [[psychological safety]] in that it adds in the frequent coordination, [[shared mental model]], and shared goals. Relational coordination is required even more during high uncertainty or high risk moments. RC can be in play even when people don't have strong personal ties. So, for people that you don't know well or are personally close to, you can still have a high RC. Relational coordination matters because there is good evidence of a linear relationship between the quality of the relational coordination and the quality of the outcome desired by an organization or team. ![[CleanShot 2023-02-26 at 06.38.45.jpg]] (Gittell, 2011 page 7) ### What organizational practices tend to support improved RC? ![[CleanShot 2023-02-26 at 20.48.56.jpg]] - These can be structured or Unstructured (Table 1: Claggett & Karahanna, 2018) - RC based meetings and interactions, formal or informal, standardized or dynamic - need to include cross functional teams - address work when there is task interdependence ![[CleanShot 2023-02-26 at 20.25.58.jpg]]((Gittell, 2011 page 27) ### How can relational coordination be measured “Relational coordination is measured by surveying participants in a particular work process about their communication and relationships with other participants in that work process.” (Gittell, 2011, p. 32) - Determine the focal work process - Determine the roles or functional groups that are involved in carrying out that work process - Survey the people making up those roles or groups - You end up with a Matrix, which can be symmetrical if you have access to all of the people/roles - Validated questions: 5 point Likert scale ![[CleanShot 2023-02-26 at 06.41.16.jpg]] (Gittell, 2011 page 8) ### Analyzing Relational Coordination See details in Gittel, 2011: Chapter 4, page 47 You can evaluate the intragroup RC vs the intergroup RC, look for trends (which groups are higher, lower, etc.) ### Times when relational coordination has been used in the literature - Intra-class Correlations have shown that RC can be treated as a "site-level construct" meaning each location can be considered one construct for purpose of measuring RC - A question this raises for me is using RC to evaluate a distributed workforce - this is somewhat addressed but hard for me to digest in this article: (Claggett & Karahanna, 2018)![[CleanShot 2023-02-26 at 21.09.12.jpg]] - Drs. Victoria Brazil, Eve Purdy et. al evaluated the role of trauma simulations with a relational coordination lens by collecting unstructured data and coding it through the domains of relational coordination “Two major themes from the inductive analysis—“Behaviour, process and system change” and “Culture and relationships”—aligned closely with findings from the RC analysis, with additional themes of “Personal and team learning” and the “Impact of the simulation experience” identified.” (Brazil et al., 2019, p. 1) - They essentially coded the data through an RC lens, then analyzed it deductively. Then they triangulated the data with inductive analysis, resulting in a robust evaluation. ### What did generative AI say? Microsoft Bing 2023-03-14 Write about: "the key elements of relational coordination" ##### The Key Elements of Relational Coordination Relational coordination is a theory and practice that aims to improve the quality and efficiency of work processes by enhancing the communication and relationships among the people who perform them. Relational coordination has been applied in various domains, such as health care, education, aviation, manufacturing, and service industries. In this blog post, we will explain what relational coordination is, why it matters, and how it can be measured and improved. What is relational coordination? Relational coordination is defined as "a mutually reinforcing process of communicating and relating for the purpose of task integration". It consists of two dimensions: communication quality and relationship quality. Communication quality refers to how well information is exchanged among interdependent workers. It involves four criteria: frequency (how often communication occurs), timeliness (how quickly information is shared), accuracy (how correct and complete information is), and problem-solving (how focused communication is on resolving issues rather than blaming or avoiding them). Relationship quality refers to how well workers relate to each other as human beings. It involves three criteria: shared goals (how much workers have a common understanding of what they are trying to achieve), shared knowledge (how much workers have a common understanding of each other's work processes), and mutual respect (how much workers appreciate each other's skills and contributions). Relational coordination theory proposes that highly interdependent work is most effectively coordinated through relationships of shared goals, shared knowledge, and mutual respect, supported by frequent, timely, accurate, and problem-solving communication. This creates a positive feedback loop that enhances task integration, which in turn improves performance outcomes such as quality, efficiency, innovation, customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and well-being. Why does relational coordination matter? Relational coordination matters because it addresses some of the key challenges faced by modern organizations that operate in complex and dynamic environments. These challenges include: - The need for cross-functional collaboration among diverse workers who have different backgrounds skills, perspectives, and interests - The need for adaptation to changing customer needs, market conditions, technological innovations, and regulatory requirements - The need for resilience to cope with uncertainty, ambiguity, risk, and stress Relational coordination helps organizations overcome these challenges by fostering a culture of teamwork, learning, and trust among workers who depend on each other for their success. Relational coordination also helps organizations leverage their human capital as a source of competitive advantage by enhancing the motivation, creativity, and productivity of their workforce. How can relational coordination be measured and improved? Relational coordination can be measured using a survey instrument called the Relational Coordination Survey (RCS) . The RCS assesses the communication quality and relationship quality among workers who are involved in a specific work process. The RCS can be used to diagnose strengths and weaknesses of relational coordination within and across teams or units in an organization. The RCS can also be used to evaluate the impact of interventions designed to improve relational coordination on performance outcomes. Relational coordination can be improved using various strategies that target both the structural and cultural aspects of an organization. Some examples of these strategies are: - Creating shared goals through strategic planning, visioning exercises, or participatory decision-making processes - Enhancing shared knowledge through cross-training programs, job rotations, or process mapping exercises - Fostering mutual respect through recognition systems, feedback mechanisms, or conflict resolution techniques - Increasing communication frequency through regular meetings, huddles, or check-ins - Improving communication timeliness through electronic platforms, dashboards, or alerts - Ensuring communication accuracy through data verification systems, quality control measures, or standardization procedures - Promoting problem-solving communication through root cause analysis, action planning, or improvement cycles These strategies can be implemented at different levels of an organization, such as individual, team, unit, or network level, depending on the scope and nature of the work process. Conclusion Relational coordination is a powerful concept that can help organizations improve their performance by enhancing their communication and relationships among interdependent workers. By measuring and improving relational coordination, organizations can create more collaborative, adaptive, and resilient work environments that benefit both their customers and employees. ### What would the opposite argument be? You just need some stout leadership with a vision and psychological safety and all will be well! The leader will create the vision, the communication about the shared purpose comes from the organization. The people will do the necessary communication about their task when and where they need to. tags: #note/idea | #on/relationships | #on/team| #on/performance ## Sources: Bolton, R., Logan, C., & Gittell, J. H. (2021). Revisiting Relational Coordination: A Systematic Review. _The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science_, _57_(3), 290–322. [https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886321991597](https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886321991597) Brazil, V., Purdy, E., Alexander, C., & Matulich, J. (2019). Improving the relational aspects of trauma care through translational simulation. _Advances in Simulation_, _4_(1), 10. [https://doi.org/10.1186/s41077-019-0100-2](https://doi.org/10.1186/s41077-019-0100-2) Claggett, J. L., & Karahanna, E. (2018). Unpacking the Structure of Coordination Mechanisms and the Role of Relational Coordination in an Era of Digitally Mediated Work Processes. _Academy of Management Review_, _43_(4), 704–722. [https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2016.0325](https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2016.0325) Gittell, J. H. (2011). _Relational Coordination: Guidelines for Theory, Measurement and Analysis_. Gittell, J. H. (2006). Relational Coordination: Coordinating Work through Relationships of Shared Goals, Shared Knowledge and Mutual Respect. In O. Kyriakidou & M. Özbilgin, _Relational Perspectives in Organizational Studies_ (p. 3667). Edward Elgar Publishing. [https://doi.org/10.4337/9781781950548.00011](https://doi.org/10.4337/9781781950548.00011) Mannion, R., & Davies, H. (2018). Understanding organisational culture for healthcare quality improvement. _BMJ_, k4907. [https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k4907](https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k4907) Mannion, R., Davies, H. T. O., & Marshall, M. N. (2005). Cultural characteristics of “high” and “low” performing hospitals. _Journal of Health Organization and Management_, _19_(6), 431–439. [https://doi.org/10.1108/14777260510629689](https://doi.org/10.1108/14777260510629689) _What Is Relational Coordination? Relational Coordination Collaborative_. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2023, from [https://heller.brandeis.edu/relational-coordination/about-rc/index.html](https://heller.brandeis.edu/relational-coordination/about-rc/index.html)