Leadership Team

Jody Hoffer Gittell, PhD

Managing Board Member, Co-Founder

Jody Hoffer Gittell is Professor at Brandeis University’s Heller School, Faculty Director of the Relational Coordination Collaborative, Co-Founder and Managing Board Member of Relational Coordination Analytics, and Academic Fellow at MIT Center for Information Systems Research. To understand how stakeholders achieve their desired outcomes in coordination with each other, Gittell developed Relational Coordination Theory, proposing that highly interdependent work is most effectively coordinated through relationships of shared goals, shared knowledge, and mutual respect, supported by frequent, timely, accurate, problem-solving communication. The Relational Model of Organizational Change shows how stakeholders can design structural, relational and work process interventions to support more effective coordination of their work. Gittell is currently exploring the relational dynamics of multi-stakeholder change in ecosystems in multiple sectors around the world. With Olawale Olaleye and Tony Suchman, she is developing and testing a diversity management curriculum based on principles of relational coordination, called Relating Across Differences, funded by the Macy Foundation. Dr. Gittell currently serves as treasurer for Seacoast NAACP, on the board of trustees for Greater Seacoast Community Health, on the editorial board of Academy of Management Review, on the board of the Organization Development and Change Division of the Academy of Management, and as Chair of the Brandeis University Faculty Senate. She received her PhD from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Heba Naim Ali, MBBS, MSc

Director of Operations and Data Analytics

Heba Naim Ali is a researcher and data analyst with deep expertise in Relational Coordination (RC) and Social Network Analysis (SNA), as well as more traditional analytic methods such as econometrics. Ali is a PhD Candidate at The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, exploring the organizational and relational factors that shape service delivery and employee well-being in the context of vulnerable populations seeking to live in the community. Ali is co-author of Relational Analytics: Guidebook for Analysis and Action, and numerous scholarly articles. She serves Relational Coordination Analytics as Director of Operations and Data Analytics, offering strategic direction for the company as well as hands-on support for clients who seek to incorporate relational coordination data and insights into their improvement projects and their daily operations.

Wale Olaleye, PhD, MBA, BPharm

Director of Consulting

Wale Olaleye is a Pharmacist, a Human Capital Consultant for Deloitte, a Consultant for Relational Coordination Analytics, and a Postdoctoral Fellow at The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. He received a PhD in Social Policy at The Heller School, an MBA with a focus on Health Systems Management from the Charlton College of Business at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and his Pharmacy degree from the University of Ibadan Nigeria. Dr. Olaleye studied interprofessional teams at Beth Israel Lahey Medical Center in Boston where he identified workforce diversity as an impediment to effective communication and relationship building between and within teams. His dissertation focused on the use of Relational Coordination principles to uncover professional and social identity-related discrimination on health care teams.

Dr. Olaleye now serves as Co-Principal Investigator on Relating Across Differences – An Improvement Process for Clinical Units, funded by the Josiah Macy Foundation, implementing the results of his research in three U.S. health systems over a three-year period. Prior to joining the Heller School, he worked at Steward Health Care System of Massachusetts and Care New England Corporate of Rhode Island as a Hospital Manager. He has also worked as a Clinical Pharmacist at government-owned hospitals in Abuja, Nigeria. His research interests include team-based care, diversity equity and belonging, opioid policy, performance of healthcare organizations and issues related to the healthcare workforce.

Testimonials

“After facilitating groups for many years, having the RC survey results was like getting a crystal ball and magic wand combined. No longer did we need to rely on our subjective observations of the team, but rather could return to the group their own perceptions and data. What’s more, the survey helped reveal hot spots, hidden power structures, and in/out group dynamics that we sensed but didn’t know enough to name. Even if we only return the aggregate results to the group, the other layers of data most definitely accelerate our facilitation. The categories themselves are also incredibly concrete issues from which to build conversations around process and relationships.”Internal Consultant, Health System

“I have always found the RCA team to be prompt, personable and efficient in addressing my questions about the RC Survey. They are open to hearing about, and resolving any challenges that may arise throughout the course of the survey process; furthermore, they are eager to hear about novel or unique issues and to work with me as a client to develop solutions. As a team, they seem to truly care about their clients, and they take pride in their work and the quality of the service they provide.”Organizational Development Expert

“What sets this assessment apart from others is that [the RC Survey 2.0] delves into the interpersonal connections using four different aspects of communication, as well as an understanding of shared goals, shared knowledge, and mutual respect. No other assessment goes to this depth to explain how an organization, department, or team can achieve healthy and thriving workplaces and communities.”Population Health Leader, Health System

“The customer service provided by RCA was exceptional! As this was my first experience with implementing the RCA process, I needed serious assistance to be sure that I was representing the client accurately but also to understand the role and power of the RCA process. The RCA staff guided my steps and helped me address the needs of the client in an efficient and step-by-step manner. I would highly recommend them to any organization or department that wants to increase effective team dynamics and collaboration.”Internal Consultant, Healthcare

“People are starting to feel comfortable talking about these things and I guess the numbers didn't look as bad as we thought. I also give credit to the leadership retreat we did with the unit leaders in December. The unit leaders are starting to feel like a team and that was never true before. It is a huge change for us here.”Surgeon Leader, Academic Medical Center

“In pondering why this survey tool works so well, it seems to me that rather than providing results to the client as end-point evaluative scores that imply a pre-determined performance rating, e.g., your team performance is high/low, good/bad, above/below average, this tool provides results that open up a dialogue for clients to self-assess their performance, discover specific areas for change, and begin to develop solutions unique to their particular needs and circumstances.”Consultant and RC Thought Leader

"We've been doing some comparisons and correlations between RC and the TeamStepps instrument, and by far, we've found that the RC instrument is more informative and helpful to us as the Evaluation Team and to the front-line in terms of informing action."Evaluation Expert, Interprofessional Collaborative Practice

"I am now feeding back the results of our first survey, and it is being really well received even though the scores are weak generally. The tool and the opportunity it affords us is really being taken in"Clinical Program Manager

"Our RC work seems to have improved and sustained employee engagement. It gives us the best of both worlds. We always talk about patients as the center of everything. Sometimes people just get exhausted. RC gets at the patient in a very employee-centered way. In the short time we've been using it, people feel inherently more valued and more important. It shows the providers how much everyone does."VP of Nursing, Health System

"Patient Service Reps are calling me every week now, asking to join the huddles so they can put a face to the name. And having the Chair of Pediatrics come to our meeting - they loved that."Call Center Supervisor, Health System

"Having pulled back to full time clinical work and then retired I can honestly say that Relational Coordination was the most powerful and impactful strategy we utilized at Billings Clinic. It says a lot that ... many of the benefits we had achieved remain embedded in the culture. Thank you for all you have done for us and so many other organizations!"Chief Medical Officer, Billings Clinic

“My experience with RCA has been nothing short of exceptional. Not only is their execution impeccable with administrating the surveys, they have also been generous and patient with guiding us through our initial usage and interpretation of the results. Part of the reason I find such value and enjoyment with the RC Survey is due to my interactions with the RCA team.”Internal Consultant, Education Sector

Jody Hoffer Gittell, PhD

Heba Naim Ali, MBBS, MSc

Wale Olaleye, PhD, MBA, BPharm

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