The RC Master Class aims to provide practitioners with the knowledge and skills to transform relationships for high performance. The RC Master Class is informed by relational coordination principles, research, practice, and metrics, and by the RC community's accumulated learning about the facilitation of relational coordination to help organizations to achieve positive change. The course includes classroom time with simulations and feedback, and follow up coaching to carry out change in real organizations with real coordination challenges. Individuals who have gained knowledge in the practice of relational coordination, from basic to advanced to mastery, will receive credentials to signify this knowledge.
The RC Master Class is offered by Relational Coordination Analytics with Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 dates to be announced shortly. Additional training in Relating Across Difference is offered as well.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the foundations of relational coordination and its impact on performance outcomes based on research in multiple industry and country contexts.
- Learn how to use the Relational Coordination Survey to assess relational coordination comprehensively, from the perspective of relevant workgroups and along multiple dimensions (shared goals, shared knowledge, mutual respect, etc.).
- Learn how to use the Organizational Structures Assessment Tool to assess your existing structures and their ability to support relational coordination across the relevant workgroups.
- Learn how to use the Relational Model of Change and Six Stages of Change methodology to guide the change process.
Target Participants
Mid to senior-level leaders, consultants and change agents who value relationships as a fundamental source of value creation and well-being. Leaders who are tasked with leading change and executive leaders who sponsor change will find the Relational Coordination Master Class to be particularly beneficial. Relevent sectors include healthcare, pharma, commercial, education and human services.
Benefits
- Readiness to Lead Large Scale Change – Develop the knowledge and tools to effectively support and manage complex change efforts, making you a valuable asset in high-impact organizational transformations.
- Career Advancement – Enhance your credentials and skillset, positioning yourself for leadership roles and greater career opportunities in change management, organizational development, and strategic transformation.
- Become a Relational Coordination Consultant – Gain the expertise needed to apply RC principles and be eligible for consulting opportunities, helping organizations drive meaningful change in your sector.
- Networking & Professional Growth – Connect with like-minded professionals, industry experts, and potential collaborators, expanding your network and influence in the field of change management.
RC Master Class Credentials |
Knowledge and Skills
|
Investments |
Basic |
Understanding of relational coordination theory, the RC Survey, the Organizational Structures Assessment Tool, the Relational Model of Change and the Six Stages of Change. |
8-hour course (cost TBD) |
Advanced |
In addition, the demonstrated ability to use these concepts and tools to lead change initiatives. |
Coaching (cost TBD) Platform + tech support (cost TBD) |
Master
|
In addition, the demonstrated ability to coach others in using these concepts and tools to lead change initiatives. |
Coaching (cost TBD) |
Note: For Brandeis Executive MBA participants, the course and initial coaching are included in their tuition.
Sample Readings and Resources
Required Readings
- Gittell, J.H. (2009). High Performance Healthcare: Using the Power of Relationships to Achieve Quality, Efficiency and Resilience. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
- Gittell, J.H. (2016). Transforming Relationships for High Performance. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press.
- Schein, E.H. (2012). Helping: How to Offer, Give and Receive Help. Jossey-Bass.
Additional Resources
- Membership in the Relational Coordination Collaborative at Brandeis University
- Bolton, R., Logan, C., & Gittell, J. H. (2021). Revisiting relational coordination: A systematic review. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 57(3), 290-322.
- Gittell, J. H., Fairfield, K. M., Bierbaum, B., Head, W., Jackson, R., Kelly, M., ... & Zuckerman, J. (2000). Impact of relational coordination on quality of care, postoperative pain and functioning, and length of stay: a nine-hospital study of surgical patients. Medical Care, 38(8), 807-819.
- Havens, D. S., Gittell, J. H., & Vasey, J. (2018). Impact of relational coordination on nurse job satisfaction, work engagement and burnout: Achieving the quadruple aim. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 48(3), 132-140.
- Gittell, J. H., Logan, C., Cronenwett, J., Foster, T. C., Freeman, R., Godfrey, M., & Vidal, D. C. (2020). Impact of relational coordination on staff and patient outcomes in outpatient surgical clinics. Health Care Management Review, 45(1), 12-20.
- Gittell, J. H., Godfrey, M., & Thistlethwaite, J. (2013). Interprofessional collaborative practice and relational coordination: Improving healthcare through relationships. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 27(3), 210-213.
- Bond, B. & Gebo, E. (2025). Exploring the relational model of change as a facilitator of interorganizational change. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science.
- McLean, D., Connor, M., Marshall, A. P., McMurray, A., & Jones, L. (2025). Illuminating power dynamics that influenced a relational coordination program in a tertiary hospital: An institutional ethnography study. Health Care Management Review, 50(1), 23-31.
- Abu-Rish Blakeney, E., Lavallee, D. C., Baik, D., Pambianco, S., O’Brien, K. D., & Zierler, B. K. (2019). Purposeful interprofessional team intervention improves relational coordination among advanced heart failure care teams. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 33(5), 481-489.
- Thygeson, N. M., Logan, C., Lindberg, C., Potts, J., Suchman, A., Merchant, R., & Thompson, R. (2021). Relational interventions for organizational learning: An experience report. Learning Health Systems, 5(3).
- Gomes, P. J., & Mirzaei, T. (2025). Evolving dynamics of relational coordination: A study of progression of care huddles in hospital observation services. Medical Care Research and Review, 82(1), 88-99.
- Hajjar, L., Olaleye, O., Yang, J., McGirr, S., & Sullivan, E. E. (2025). Relational coordination and team‐based care: Change initiative overload and other challenges in a learning health system. Learning Health Systems, e10455.
- Hajjar, L., Gittell, J. H., Stephens, J. P., Meier, N., & Cutcher Gershenfeld, J. (2024). Seeing the whole together through relational mapping: A method for engaging in complex systems change. The American Review of Public Administration.
- Grøn, A.B., Hvilsted, L., Ingerslev, K., Jacobsen, C., Bech, M. & Holm-Petersen, C. (2024). Can leadership improve interorganizational collaboration? Field-experimental evidence from a team-based leadership training intervention. The American Review of Public Administration.