Beyond Being There: The Symbolic Role of Communication and Identification in Perceptions of Proximity to Geographically Dispersed Colleagues

Abstract

Using a mixed-methods approach, we develop the concept of perceived proximity, which is created through communication, shared identity, and the symbolic aspects thereof. Building on previous theoretical work, we create and validate measures of perceived proximity. Then, we compare how perceived proximity and objective distance relate to relationship quality for collocated and geographically dispersed work colleagues. Our results show that perceived proximity (i.e., a cognitive and affective sense of relational closeness) and not physical proximity (i.e., geographic closeness measured in miles or kilometers) affects relationship quality in an international survey of more than 600 people and 1,300 dyadic work relationships. We also find that people's perceptions of proximity mediate the effects of communication and identification on relationship quality. Using qualitative data (2,289 comments from 1,188 respondents coded into 9 themes), we explore the symbolic meaning of perceived proximity. We show how people can form strong bonds despite being separated by large distances and continue to shift the emphasis from information systems as "pipes" or channels to information systems as vehicles for conveying shared meaning and symbolic value. Our findings have important implications for scholars, managers, systems designers, and members of virtual teams, teleworkers, and other geographically dispersed contexts.

The Impacts of the Perceived Transparency of Privacy Policies and Trust in Providers for Building Trust in Health Information Exchange: Empirical Study

“…On the basis of the answers to these questions, 8 responses were dropped. This ratio is similar to those reported in previous studies that used MTurk for data collection [80]. Thus, concerns that Web-based respondents might reply randomly or haphazardly to complete the survey quickly were alleviated.…”

Work Design for Global Professionals: Connectivity demands, connectivity behaviors, and their effects on psychological and behavioral outcomes

“…Wilson, O’Leary, Metiu, and Jett (2008), for example, found that frequent mediated communication facilitated the formation of strong social bonds between geographically distant co-workers. O’Leary and colleagues (2014) further report that the effects of objective distance are eliminated when co-workers perceive themselves to be proximate, something that the authors attribute to employees conveying to distant co-workers that they are always accessible.…”

“…The literature on global work abounds with examples of the challenging and time-consuming nature of building mutually supportive and close relationships across distances and time zones (Hinds & Mortensen, 2005; Jarvenpaa & Leidner, 1998; Walther, 1992). To combat this, globally distributed co-workers build interpersonal relationships by communicating frequently via technology (O’Leary, Wilson, & Metiu, 2014) during and outside of business hours (Espinosa, 2013; O’Leary & Cummings, 2007). Wilson, O’Leary, Metiu, and Jett (2008), for example, found that frequent mediated communication facilitated the formation of strong social bonds between geographically distant co-workers.…”

“…Globally distributed professionals, whom we define as those collaborating across geographical distance with co-workers in different countries, may be particularly affected by escalating connectivity demands. They communicate, share information, and collaborate with distant colleagues through the frequent use of email, video and teleconferencing, and advanced collaboration systems (e.g., O’Leary et al, 2014; Weber & Kim, 2015). In addition to communicating frequently, these professionals seem to work increasingly both before and after normal office hours to enable synchronous collaboration with distant co-workers (Cummings et al, 2009; Espinosa, 2013; O’Leary & Cummings, 2007).…”

“…Few studies on global work, however, have examined the role of interpersonal relationships on psychological and behavioral outcomes. In one notable exception, O’Leary and colleagues (2014) examined “perceived proximity” among members of virtual teams and found positive effects on satisfaction with team relationships. These results imply that global workers, like co-located workers, benefit from maintaining close connections with distant co-workers, which meets their needs for belonging (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Kahn, 2009).…”