Relational coordination at work

In this chapter relational coordination (RC) is identified as a promising theory which has application to high-performance teams operating in a range of business sectors. Relational coordination explores seven components that allow individuals, workgroups, and/or organisations to collaborate and actively manage the interdependencies of their tasks. Four of these components describe communication characteristics: frequency, timeliness, accuracy, and a focus on problem solving. Research indicates that RC has positive outcomes for employees, team members and customers alike. It is especially well validated in the health care sector. The introduction of RC involves change management, and we identify several change imperatives that need to be taken care of for RC to be effectively introduced and diffused. There is ample opportunity to research various antecedents, processes and outcomes of RC and some suggestions are offered to provide guidance to readers.