A big welcome to the newest members of the RCRC partner community who joined in January from the Veterans Health Administration (USA), Brandeis University (USA), Saybrook University (USA), and Université de Sherbrooke (Canada). The Center for Positive Organizations at University of Michigan (USA) is accepting applications for an exciting post-doctoral scholar role until February 1. Vasilica Maria Margalina (Ecuador) is co-editing a new book called Management and Inter/Intra Organizational Relationships in the Textile and Apparel Industry and is excited to announce the call for chapters with the RCRC community.

What makes a technology relational?   Our panelists and participants concluded that it's not just the design - it also depends greatly on how the technology is used.  Contrary to the original RC theory where shared information systems were expected to support the development of relational coordination, our panelists argued that relational coordination is needed to achieve the potential of shared information systems. Interesting, this argument is consistent with the emerging Relational Model of Organizational Change (Gittell, 2016)!

Ben Kragen (Brandeis University, USA) proposes that telemedicine can support coordination between patients, healthcare providers and social supports.  However he argues that the technology by itself may not be sufficient.  Relational coordination in the form of shared goals, shared knowledge and mutual respect between the different roles may have to be strengthened in order to achieve the potential of telemedicine.  

Margot Tanner (The Walker Project, Switzerland) shared how hospital teams she works with coordinate care through lean methods, aided by both analog and digital tools. However “information is not communication. To connect per click is not to relate.” 

Carmen De Pablos Heredero (Rey Juan Carlos University, Spain) shared her research in higher education where students use digital networks to share not just information but experiences as well.  Through digital networks, schools can promote cooperative work and learning by doing to activate students as “knowledge producers instead of passive consumers.”

RCRC partners can access a video recording of the presentations and the conversation that followed.