Seeing the Whole Together Through Relational Mapping: A Method for Engaging in Complex Systems Change

Abstract

Complex global challenges cut across organizational and sectoral boundaries, increasing calls for holistic responses. Seeing the whole across diverse stakeholders is challenging for participants in complex systems, yet doing so is essential for engaging effectively in systems change. A promising new method known as relational mapping, based on relational coordination theory, has been used to facilitate complex systems change. Here, we propose that relational mapping can be applied to help participants (1) see the whole in relation to the parts, (2) share their explicit and tacit knowledge, (3) engage in dialogue across distinct perspectives supported by the map as a boundary object, (4) reduce the impact of power differences, and (5) prepare to co-design interventions from multiple perspectives. This paper presents an illustrative case of relational mapping in the context of public administration in a South Carolina community engaging in complex systems change. Our analysis suggests a set of boundary conditions for the success of relational mapping, including the willingness of participants to seek integrative solutions to a conflict or problem and facilitation that is attentive to differential power and status among stakeholders. We conclude that relational mapping is a powerful, theoretically grounded method that enables the visual assessment of multi-level stakeholder relationships, preparing participants to engage in complex systems change and then present a template for use of relational mapping more broadly.