The Heller School for Social Policy and Management
Relational Coordination Collaborative

Call for Abstracts

Boston Roundtable

Key Dates in the Process

  • June 12 - Submission Deadline
  • July 11 - Notification of Acceptance
  • July 21 - Registration Deadline for Presenters
  • November 6-8 - RCC Roundtable 2025 at Suffolk University

If you have any questions or wish to receive feedback on your idea before submitting, please feel free to contact the RCC Team at relationalcoord@brandeis.edu.

Finding Integrative Solutions to Complex Problems

While there are leaders who seek to divide and conquer, there are also many people who are looking for solutions to real problems, and who are deeply disturbed about threats to democracy and to our public sector. How can we move beyond domination to solve the very real problems we face, whether in the healthcare, environmental, education, public administration, public policy or commercial sectors?

Mary Parker Follett advocated for constructive conflict — understanding each other's “full field of desires” to reach integrative solutions. But she also cautioned that integration is not possible when either party’s primary goal—ours included—is to dominate. How can relational coordination and relational leadership help us as leaders, policy makers, researchers and consultants to find integrative solutions to the complex problems we face? How can we recognize when integration is not possible?
 
Join us at the Relational Coordination Collaborative’s 15th Annual Roundtable where we will grapple with these timely questions. We will gather in Boston on November 6-8th, starting with Welcoming Activities and ending with a Closing Celebration. Our colleagues at Suffolk University will host the community once again in the heart of Boston!

Submission Information

We invite submissions from multiple disciplines and methodologies for either completed work or work in process. We welcome 1) individual abstracts, 2) group proposals with 3 to 4 abstracts on a common theme, and 3) workshop proposals with hands-on interactive activities.  Presentation formats will vary - see below!

Abstract Specifications

  • Word limit: 500 words per abstract (not including the title and author[s])
  • Content: Your abstract should provide 1) a concise summary of your project, 2) the context, 3) your methods, 4) your key findings or learnings and 5) implications for action.
  • For workshop proposals, the abstract should include 1) a concise summary of the workshop, 2) your learning objectives, and 3) a description of the interactive elements you plan to incorporate.

Presentation Formats

For each accepted proposal, presenter(s) will be notified of the designated presentation format:

  • Individual presentations grouped together into a session: Four 15-minute oral presentations grouped together either in your proposal or by the Roundtable organizers, followed by interactive group discussion 
  • Shift & Share: 5-minute oral presentation followed by 15-minute small group discussion, repeated 4 times
  • Workshop: 1.5 hour hands-on interactive session

Topics to Consider

  • Relational Model of Change. Many organizations are engaged in interventions using the Relational Model of Change and the evidence is growing.  What are we learning? How do relational, structural and work process interventions help to build RC into daily work? What does the change journey look like, what are the challenges, and what are the outcomes? 
  • Cross Sector Coordination and Boundary Spanner Roles. Many of the challenges we face cannot be solved by one organization or sector. How are organizations engaging in cross-sector coordination to solve wicked problems? How do boundary spanner individuals, teams or organizations help make this happen? 
  •  Healthcare Networks. How do we strengthen networks within and across healthcare systems, community organizations, and public health to deliver high value care with attention to the needs of patients and the healthcare workforce? 
  • Technology, AI and Workplace Relationships. AI and other technologies are rapidly transforming the workplace and how we coordinate our work . How can we build RC into the human/AI relationship, and use AI and other forms of IT to facilitate RC among the workgroups who need to better coordinate their work?
  • Leadership Training to Strengthen Collaboration. What are the leadership training approaches that help to strengthen RC? Bringing leaders from the same organizations or networks together to learn what others do? Helping them to "see the whole together"? Training them to role model RC to "be the change they wish to see"? 
  • Relational Human Resource Management. Every day our organizations select, train, reward, manage performance and resolve conflicts - but many of our HR structures are non-relational. How can organizations develop HR practices that build relational coordination internally and with their partner organizations? 
  • Relating Across Difference. Diversity efforts sometimes focus on showing people how they are wrong. We can also work to strengthen relationships among people with diverse professional and social identities. How does a relational approach to diversity differ and how does it work? 
  • Seeing the Whole Together Through Measurement and Visualization. RC is a social network measure of communicating and relating for the purpose of task integration. There is a huge opportunity to bring relational coordination, social networks and other data visualization methods together to help stakeholders see the whole together and make desired changes. 
  • Relational Society and Resilient Communities. How can we build inclusive, equitable, vibrant and resilient communities, at home and at work? Doing so may require us to make changes at the interpersonal, organizational and institutional levels. Bring your experiences about how relational society happens in your part of the world. 
  • Strengthening Education. How can education leaders strengthen relational coordination among faculty, students, administrators, staff, families, communities, alums, donors, public sector funders, board members and other key stakeholders for better more sustainable outcomes in educational systems? 
  • Relational Foundations of Worker Voice, Power and Well-Being. Worker voice and power are on the rise as workers respond to exploitation, burnout and the lack of well-being at work. How can relational coordination help workers to build voice and power for greater well-being - for themselves and the people they serve? 

Registration

To be included on the program, all presenters must register for the Roundtable. The RCC is seeking to expand opportunities to participate in the Roundtable, so feel free to write to the RCC at relationalcoord@brandeis.edu to inquire about scholarships. For those who are able, feel free to contribute to the scholarship fund when you register.

submit individual abstracts

 

submit group proposals with 3 to 4 abstracts on a common theme

 

submit workshop proposals with interactive elements for hands-on learning

REGISTER HERE