Relational Coordination

Abstract

Abstract Relational coordination is a theory of coordination that makes visible the relational process underlying the technical process, arguing that coordination is not only the management of interdependence between tasks but also the management of interdependence between the people who perform those tasks. First, relational coordination theory starts by conceptualizing coordination as occurring through a network of relational and communication ties among participants in a work process, where a work process is a set of interdependent tasks that transforms inputs into outcomes of value to the organization. Second, this theory identifies three distinctive dimensions of relationships – shared goals, shared knowledge, and mutual respect – that together are argued to underlie the effective coordination of work. Third, these dimensions are conceived as existing between work roles rather than between individual participants. Fourth, the theory explains how relational forms of coordination influence quality and efficiency outcomes, and how this influence is weaker or stronger depending on the nature of the work. Fifth and finally, the theory explains how formal organizational structures can be designed to support relational forms of coordination, rather than suggesting that formal structures are necessarily substitutes or impediments to relational coordination.