What is Relating Across Difference?
Relating Across Difference is an opportunity for coaches to learn a relational approach to process improvement and DEI. Coaches learn to build relationships of shared goals, shared knowledge and mutual respect across professional and social identity differences on their teams as they lead improvement projects. Improvement projects are carried out over 9 months, with 4 workshops and with ongoing coaching offered by instructors to support the learning.
Instructors include Wale Olaleye, PhD, MA, MBA, BPharm, Anthony Suchman, MD, MA, and Jody Hoffer Gittell, PhD. The curriculum is currently being developed and tested in partnership with three health systems including Cleveland Clinic/Case Western Reserve University, Mass General Brigham, and the University of Washington Medical Center, with funding from the Josiah Macy Foundation.
RAD is a relational approach to process improvement and DEI that
- Works with process improvement teams using a coach-the-coach model to help them build relationships across difference as part of their quality improvement work
- Develops relationships based on shared goals, shared knowledge and mutual respect across both professional differences (e.g., nurse, doctor, medical assistant, pharmacist, patient care assistant, administrator) and personal differences (e.g., race, gender, class, political views, immigration status, age) thereby reinforcing interprofessional practice training and diversity, equity and inclusion training
- Uses relational coordination as a validated model for coordinating interdependent work
- Is being developed and tested in partnership with Cleveland Clinic/Case Western Reserve University, Massachusetts General Brigham, and the University of Washington Medical Center
- Is based at Brandeis University's Institute on Healthcare Systems, supported by the Josiah Macy Foundation, the Consortium for Curriculum Development, and the Relational Coordination Collaborative.
Expected results
We expect that participants in these clinical units will experience higher levels of comfort with professional and personal differences following the improvement process compared to before. As a result, participants will experience higher levels of relational coordination, psychological safety, job satisfaction, work engagement, reduced burnout and increased intent to stay. We expect that participants in these clinical units will be more successful in achieving their patient care goals than they were prior to participation.