Relational Coordination
Guidelines for Theory, Measurement and Analysis
Chapter 2: The Theory of Relational Coordination (continued)
Communication Dimensions of Relational Coordination
Frequent communication. Organization design and group theorists have explored the characteristics of communication that is carried out for the purpose of coordinating work. xi In much of this work, the frequency of communication between participants has played a central role. But the role of communication is not merely informational. Frequent communication helps to build relationships through the familiarity that grows from repeated interaction. Indeed, in network theory, strong ties are defined primarily and sometimes solely in terms of frequency. xii By contrast, some argue that high quality connections can exist independent of the frequency of communication. xiii While recognizing the importance of frequent communication for coordinating highly interdependent work, relational coordination encompasses far more than simply the frequency of communication.
Timely communication. Communication can be frequent and still be of poor quality. For one thing, it can lack timeliness. In coordinating highly interdependent work, timing can be critical. Delayed communication may result in errors or delays, with negative implications for organizational outcomes. Though timely communication has not been widely recognized as essential to the coordination of highly interdependent work, research by Wanda Orlikowski and Joanne Yates, as well as more recent research by Mary Waller, supports the importance of timely communication for successful task performance. xiv
Accurate communication. The effective coordination of work depends not only on frequent and timely communication, but also on accurate communication. If updates are received frequently and in a timely way but the information is inaccurate, either an error will occur, or instead a delay will occur as participants halt the process to seek more accurate information. Consistent with this reasoning, Charles O'Reilly and Karlene Roberts showed that accurate communication plays a critical role in task group effectiveness. The accuracy of communication can also have implications for trustworthiness and therefore affect the likelihood of knowledge seeking, as suggested recently by Daniel Levin and Rob Cross. xv
Problem solving communication. Task interdependencies often result in problems that require joint problem solving. Hence, effective coordination requires that participants engage in problem solving communication. But the more common response to interdependence is conflict as well as blaming and the avoidance of blame. As J. Edward Deming predicted in his work on Total Quality Management, the resort to blaming rather than problem solving reduces opportunities to solve problems, with negative consequences for performance. William Stevenson and colleagues, as well as Saul Rubinstein, have explored more deeply the role that problem solving communication plays in the coordination of highly interdependent work. xvi
Relationship Dimensions of Relational Coordination
But communication does not occur in a vacuum. Participants' ability to effectively coordinate their work is also influenced by the quality of their relationships, particularly the extent of shared goals, shared knowledge and mutual respect.
Shared goals. Effective coordination depends upon participants having a high level of shared goals for the work process in which they are engaged. With a set of shared goals for the work process, participants have a powerful bond and can more easily come to compatible conclusions about how to respond as new information becomes available. However, shared goals are often lacking among participants who work in different functional areas. In their classic work on organizations, James March and Herbert Simon described the negative outcomes that occur when participants pursue their own functional goals without reference to the superordinate goals of the work process in which they are engaged. Theorists such as Richard Saavedra and colleagues, and Ruth Wageman more recently, have identified shared goals as playing an important role in the coordination of highly interdependent work. xvii
Shared knowledge. Furthermore, effective coordination depends upon participants having a high degree of shared knowledge regarding each other's tasks. When participants know how their tasks fit together with the tasks of others in the same work process, they have a context for knowing who will be impacted by any given change and therefore for knowing who needs to know what, and with what urgency. But shared knowledge is often lacking. Consistent with sociological theories, Deborah Dougherty showed that participants from different functional backgrounds often reside in different "thought worlds" due to differences in their training, socialization and expertise. She showed that these thought worlds create obstacles to effective communication and therefore undermine the effective coordination of work. Karl Weick's "sense-making" theory suggests that collective mind, or shared understanding of the work process by those who are participants in it, can connect participants from these distinct thought worlds and thereby enhance coordination. xviii
Mutual respect. Finally, effective coordination depends upon participants having respect for other participants in the same work process. Disrespect is one of the potential sources of division among those who play different roles in a given work process. Occupational identity serves as a source of pride, as well as a source of invidious comparison. Members of distinct occupational communities often have different status and may bolster their own status by actively cultivating disrespect for the work performed by others, as illustrated by John Van Maanen and Stephen Barley. When members of these distinct occupational communities are engaged in a common work process, the potential for these divisive relationships to undermine coordination is apparent. By contrast, respect for the competence of others creates a powerful bond, and is integral to the effective coordination of highly interdependent work. xix (Continued ... )