Proximity dimensions and dynamics within an organisation: experiences from a change process

Abstract

Proximity between actors within an organisation can be relevant for interactive learning and innovation because it promotes collaboration and knowledge exchange. However, proximity has mainly been studied as a characteristic of the relationships between actors belonging to different organisations. In this paper, a case study of a faculty at a university is used to investigate proximity within this organisation and related to a change process. Based on 23 interviews and a self-ethnographic approach, we offer a detailed micro-perspective on how the geographic, cognitive, and social dimensions of proximity influence interactive learning and innovation between employees within the organisation. We also identify two distinct proximity configurations that have emerged during the change process. Finally, we analyse how the proximity dimensions are balanced within these configurations and offer two propositions explaining their influence on interactive learning and innovation. We thereby contribute to the existing theory on proximity by extending the insight into proximity from an inter-organisational to an intra-organisational level and by adding new knowledge to the understanding of proximity dynamics.