Distance creates proximity: Unraveling the influence of geographical distance on social proximity in interorganizational collaborations

IF 4.6 1区社会学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Environment and Planning A-Economy and Space Pub Date : 2023-01-17 DOI:10.1177/0308518X221143115

Philip Roth, J. Mattes

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Abstract

A vital ingredient for the success of interorganizational collaboration projects is strong personal relationships among the partners. Their formation is structured by geographical distances between partners. In the corresponding research, it is assumed that geographic distance inhibits face-to-face interactions, which are highly effective for tie-formation. However, findings from adjacent fields of research suggest that greater distances can also be conducive to the development of personal relations. In this paper, we unravel these contradictions. Empirically, we examine the development of 2132 personal ties between individuals from 20 government-funded interorganizational innovation projects using a mixed-method design. Statistical analysis of the data reveals a U-shaped correlation between geographical and social proximity. Contrary to common assumptions, large geographical distances are found to be particularly conducive to forming relationships. The qualitative data explains this finding by identifying and systematically relating five practices which are associated with specific distances and which are (differently) effective for tie-formation.

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距离产生接近:揭示组织间合作中地理距离对社会接近的影响

组织间协作项目成功的一个重要因素是合作伙伴之间牢固的个人关系。它们的形成取决于伙伴之间的地理距离。在相应的研究中，假设地理距离抑制了面对面的互动，而面对面的互动对领带的形成非常有效。然而，邻近领域的研究结果表明，更大的距离也有利于个人关系的发展。在本文中，我们将解开这些矛盾。实证研究采用混合方法设计，考察了20个政府资助的组织间创新项目中个体之间2132种人际关系的发展。对数据的统计分析显示，地理位置和社会接近度之间呈u形相关。与通常的假设相反，研究发现，较大的地理距离特别有利于建立关系。定性数据通过识别和系统地联系与特定距离相关的五种做法来解释这一发现，这些做法对结绳形成(不同)有效。

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来源期刊

Environment and Planning A-Economy and Space Multiple-

CiteScore

9.50

自引率

9.50%

发文量

100

期刊介绍： Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space is a pluralist and heterodox journal of economic research, principally concerned with questions of urban and regional restructuring, globalization, inequality, and uneven development. International in outlook and interdisciplinary in spirit, the journal is positioned at the forefront of theoretical and methodological innovation, welcoming substantive and empirical contributions that probe and problematize significant issues of economic, social, and political concern, especially where these advance new approaches. The horizons of Economy and Space are wide, but themes of recurrent concern for the journal include: global production and consumption networks; urban policy and politics; race, gender, and class; economies of technology, information and knowledge; money, banking, and finance; migration and mobility; resource production and distribution; and land, housing, labor, and commodity markets. To these ends, Economy and Space values a diverse array of theories, methods, and approaches, especially where these engage with research traditions, evolving debates, and new directions in urban and regional studies, in human geography, and in allied fields such as socioeconomics and the various traditions of political economy.

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