Research

• Empirical Findings - Outcomes of Relational Coordination

• Empirical Findings - Predictors of Relational Coordination

• Publications - Articles

• Publications - Books

• RC and Transformation of Primary Care

• RC and Leadership

• RC and Worker Outcomes

• RC, Complexity and Social Construction

• RC and System Redesign

• RC and Organizational Change

• RC and Customer Coproduction

• RC, Networks, Collaboration and Social Capital

• RC and Information Technology

• RC in Banking and Auditing

• RC and the Development of New Metrics

• RC and the Soft Side of Lean

Empirical Findings - Predictors of Relational Coordination

Evidence regarding the predictors of relational coordination is growing. Empirical findings thus far suggest that the development of relational coordination is influenced by leadership behaviors as well as by the design of supervisory roles, boundary spanners roles, job design, selection, conflict resolution, performance measurement, rewards, protocols, meetings and more.  There is some evidence that external pressures can also positively influence the development of relational coordination.  In addition, a wide array of outcomes are associated with relational coordination.  

Empirical findings regarding the predictors of relational coordination are summarized below.  Please contact us at info@relationalcoordination.org to report additional findings regarding the predictors of relational coordination.

Leadership  

• In a study of primary care staff across the state of Massachusetts, transformational leadership by physicians as rated by their staff predicted higher levels of relational coordination among staff, while transactional and passive leadership had no effect on relational coordination (Bright, D., 2013, "Physician Leadership and Teamwork in Primary Care Groups," Working Paper, Brandeis University, under development).

Customer Participation  

• In a study of two retail banks in France, customer participation through face to face and online channels affected relational coordination among bank employees positively or negatively depending on employee perception of customer participation (Ple, L., 2013, "How Does the Customer Fit in Relational Coordination? An Empirical Study of Multichannel Retail Banking," M@n@gement).

Employee Selection  

• In a 4 airline study of 335 airline employees over 12 months of operation, selecting for teamwork predicted higher levels of relational coordination between pilots, flight attendants, gate agents, operations agents, mechanics, baggage handlers, cabin cleaners, caterers etc. (Gittell, J.H., 2000, “Organizing Work to Support Relational Coordination,” International Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(3): 517-539).
• In a 9 hospital study of 313 care providers and 588 surgical patients, selecting for teamwork predicted higher levels of relational coordination between surgeons, nurses, physical therapists and social workers (Gittell, J.H., Seidner, R., Wimbush, J., 2010, “A Relational Model of How High-Performance Work Systems Work,” Organization Science, 21(2): 490-506).

Conflict Resolution  

• In a 4 airline study of 35 airline employees over 12 months of operation, proactive cross-functional conflict resolution predicted higher levels of relational coordination between pilots, flight attendants, gate agents, operations agents, mechanics, baggage handlers, cabin cleaners, caterers etc. (Gittell, J.H., 2000, “Organizing Work to Support Relational Coordination,” International Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(3): 517-539).
• In a 9 hospital study of 313 care providers and 588 surgical patients, proactive cross-functional conflict resolution predicted higher levels of relational coordination between surgeons, nurses, physical therapists and social workers (Gittell, J.H., Seidner, R., Wimbush, J., 2010, “A Relational Model of How High-Performance Work Systems Work,” Organization Science, 21(2): 490-506).

Job Design

• In a study of 335 acute medical care patients with 893 provider responses, patients with a hospitalist as their attending physician had higher relational coordination between their physicians, nurses, residents, therapists, case managers and social workers, as well as lower readmits, lower total costs of care and lower lengths of stay (Gittell, J.H., Weinberg, D., Bennett, A., Miller, J.A., 2008, “Is the Doctor In? A Relational Approach to Job Design and the Coordination of Work,” Human Resource Management, 47(4): 729-755).

Supervisor Role

• In a 4 airline study of 335 airline employees over 12 months of operation, smaller supervisory span of control predicted higher levels of relational coordination between pilots, flight attendants, gate agents, operations agents, mechanics, baggage handlers, cabin cleaners, caterers etc. (Gittell, J.H., 2001, “Supervisory Span, Relational Coordination and Flight Departure Performance: A Reassessment of Post-Bureaucracy Theory,” Organization Science, 12(4): 467-482).
• In a 9 hospital study of 313 care providers and 588 surgical patients, smaller supervisory span of control predicted higher levels of relational coordination between surgeons, nurses, physical therapists and social workers (Gittell, J.H., Seidner, R., Wimbush, J., 2010, “A Relational Model of How High-Performance Work Systems Work,” Organization Science, 21(2): 490-506).
• In a study of hospitals and early intervention agencies, smaller supervisory span of control predicted higher levels of relational coordination between hospitals and agencies (Derrington, T., 2012, "Drug Exposed Young Children and Early Intervention: What Influences Service Engagement?" Working Paper, Brandeis University, under development). 

Boundary Spanner Role

• In a 4 airline study of 335 airline employees over 12 months of operation, the cross-role boundary spanner (operations agent) workload negatively predicted relational coordination between pilots, flight attendants, gate agents, operations agents, mechanics, baggage handlers, cabin cleaners, caterers etc. (Gittell, J.H., 2000, “Organizing Work to Support Relational Coordination,” International Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(3): 517-539).
• In a 9 hospital study of 313 care providers and 588 surgical patients, the cross-role boundary spanner (case manager) workload negatively predicted higher levels of relational coordination between surgeons, nurses, physical therapists and social workers (Gittell, J.H., Seidner, R., Wimbush, J., 2010, “A Relational Model of How High-Performance Work Systems Work,” Organization Science, 21(2): 490-506).
• In a qualitative study of four elementary schools, a well-defined boundary spanner role was associated with higher levels of relational coordination between the school and external mental health providers (Parsons, under development)

Cross-Role Performance Measurement

• In a 4 airline study of 335 airline employees over 12 months of operation, cross-functional approaches to performance measurement (team delay) predicted higher levels of relational coordination between pilots, flight attendants, gate agents, operations agents, mechanics, baggage handlers, cabin cleaners, caterers etc. (Gittell, J.H., 2000, “Organizing Work to Support Relational Coordination,” International Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(3): 517-539; Gittell, J.H., 2000, “Paradox of Coordination and Control,” California Management Review, 42(3): 177-183).
• In a 9 hospital study of 313 care providers and 588 surgical patients, cross-functional proactive approaches to performance measurement predicted higher levels of relational coordination between surgeons, nurses, physical therapists and social workers (Gittell, J.H., Seidner, R., Wimbush, J., 2010, “A Relational Model of How High-Performance Work Systems Work,” Organization Science, 21(2): 490-506).

Cross-Role Rewards

• In a 9 hospital study of 313 care providers and 588 surgical patients, cross-functional rewards predicted higher levels of relational coordination between surgeons, nurses, physical therapists and social workers (Gittell, J.H., Seidner, R., Wimbush, J., 2010, “A Relational Model of How High-Performance Work Systems Work,” Organization Science, 21(2): 490-506).

Cross-Role Protocols

• In a 9 hospital study of 313 care providers and 588 surgical patients, more inclusive cross-functional clinical pathways predicted higher levels of relational coordination between surgeons, nurses, physical therapists and social workers (Gittell, J.H., 2002, “Coordinating Mechanisms in Care Provider Groups: Relational Coordination as a Mediator and Input Uncertainty as a Moderator of Performance Effects,” Management Science, 48(11): 1408-1426).  
• In a qualitative study of four elementary schools, the use of cross-role protocols for handoffs was associated with higher levels of relational coordination between the school and external mental health providers (Parsons, under development).
• In a qualitative study of four early childhood education centers, greater formalization through use of cross-role protocols was associated with higher levels of relational coordination among teaching staff (Douglass, A., Gittell, J.H., 2012, “Transforming Professionalism: Relational Bureaucracy and Parent-Teacher Partnerships in Child Care Settings,” Journal of Early Childhood Research, 10(3): 267-281).

Cross-Role Meetings

• In a 9 hospital study of 313 care providers and 588 surgical patients, more inclusive cross-functional patient rounds predicted higher levels of relational coordination between surgeons, nurses, physical therapists and social workers (Gittell 2002, Gittell, J.H., Seidner, R., Wimbush, J., 2010, “A Relational Model of How High-Performance Work Systems Work,” Organization Science, 21(2): 490-506).

Cross-Organizational Events

• In a study of hospitals and early intervention agencies, open houses and community events sponsored by hospitals predicted higher levels of relational coordination between hospitals and agencies (Derrington, T., 2012, "Drug Exposed Young Children and Early Intervention: What Influences Service Engagement?" Working Paper, Brandeis University, under development). 

Uncertainty

• In a 9 hospital study of 313 care providers and 588 patients, input uncertainty increased the impact of boundary spanners, team meetings, protocols and RC on performance outcomes (Gittell, J.H., 2002, “Coordinating Mechanisms in Care Provider Groups: Relational Coordination as a Mediator and Input Uncertainty as a Moderator of Performance Effects,” Management Science, 48(11): 1408-1426).

External Pressures

• In a 9 hospital study of 313 care providers, the degree of managed care penetration predicted greater stress as reported by care providers and higher levels of relational coordination among them (Gittell, J.H., 2008, “Relationships and Resilience: Care Provider Responses to Pressures from Managed Care,” Journal Applied Behavioral Science, 44(1): 25-47).

Integrated Delivery Systems

• In a cross-continuum study of surgical patients and care providers, patients remaining within the integrated delivery system post-surgery had no significant difference in their relational coordination or outcomes relative to patients who received their care outside the integrated delivery system (Kautz, C., Gittell, J.H., Lusenhop, W., Weinberg, D.B., Wright, J., 2007, “Patient Benefits from Participating in an Integrated Delivery System: Impact on the Coordination of Care,” Health Care Management Review, 32(3): 1-11).

Site Visits

• In a qualitative study of geographically distributed high tech development teams, site visits were associated with higher levels of relational coordination (Hinds, P., 2011, "Deepening Relational Coordination: Why Site Visits Matter," Working Paper, Stanford University, under development).

Relational Practice

• In a qualitative study of academic researchers, relational practices were associated with higher levels of relational coordination among researchers thus "fueling and sustaining the possibility for interesting research" (Dutton, J.E., Dukerich, J.M., 2006, "The Relational Foundation of Research:  An Underappreciated Dimension of Interesting Research," Academy of Management Journal, 49(1), 21-26). 

Structured Time Off Process

• In a qualitative study of management consulting teams, structured time-off processes were associated with higher levels of relational coordination (Mazmanian, M., Perlow, L., 2010, "Who's Actually Relating?  Bringing the Worker into Theories of Relational Coordination," Working Paper, University of California, Irvine, under development).