Successful change initiatives are rarely accomplished by a single stakeholder. In a world that is facing complex challenges such as wars, pandemics, authoritarianism, social injustice, and climate change, calls for holistic responses are increasing. Change efforts in complex systems rely on relationships at every level, spanning intra and interpersonal, cross-functional, organizational, cross-organizational, and institutional. Seeing the whole is challenging for participants in complex systems, yet doing so is essential for engaging effectively in systems change. To provide participants with the direct experience of expressing, testing, feeling, and reflecting as they engage in coordinating complex systems, relational mapping was developed as a practical embodiment of relational coordination theory. Relational mapping is often used to help diverse participants in complex health and social systems see the current state of coordination and identify opportunities for change. In this workshop, we introduce relational mapping as a method for engaging in theory-driven research and practice. We invite participants to use a case from their own context to develop a relational map. Based on these relational maps, facilitators will guide participants to engage in theorizing and hypothesis development in small groups.
