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  • 1.  Coding physical distance in network studies

    Posted 07-19-2008 11:22
    My colleagues and I are conducting a network study in which we will examine how an office relocation and change of layout and physical distance between employees' workspaces impacts the organization's social network. Can anyone suggest a way to code/measure physical distance between employees' workspaces? If you are aware of any studies or literature that deal with this topic, please email the references.

    Thank you in advance.
     
     

    Emily Amdurer, PhD Student

    Department of Organizational Behavior

    CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

    10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106

    E-mail: emilyamdurer@yahoo.com; eea11@case.edu

     




  • 2.  Coding physical distance in network studies

    Posted 07-19-2008 15:55
    Emily,
     
    I don't have a direct reference for you, but you might try contacting Dan O'Shea at The Hartford (danoshea26ATyahooDOTcom ).  His dissertation research was concerned with the impact of building design on social capital, and I seem to recall that physical proximity (measured in feet, I believe, but not sure, this was several years ago) was one of his measures.
     
    Janet Barnes-Farrell
    _____________________________
    Janet L. Barnes-Farrell, Ph.D.
    Department of Psychology
    University of Connecticut
    Storrs, CT USA 06269-1020
    Janet.Barnes-Farrell@uconn.edu

    From: emilyamdurer@YAHOO.COM CTRL + Click to follow link" href="mailto:emilyamdurer@YAHOO.COM">emily amdurer
    Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2008 11:21 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu CTRL + Click to follow link" href="mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu">OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Subject: Coding physical distance in network studies

    My colleagues and I are conducting a network study in which we will examine how an office relocation and change of layout and physical distance between employees' workspaces impacts the organization's social network. Can anyone suggest a way to code/measure physical distance between employees' workspaces? If you are aware of any studies or literature that deal with this topic, please email the references.

    Thank you in advance.
     
     

    Emily Amdurer, PhD Student

    Department of Organizational Behavior

    CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

    10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106

    E-mail: emilyamdurer@yahoo.com; eea11@case.edu

     




  • 3.  Coding physical distance in network studies

    Posted 07-19-2008 19:55
    I am unaware of research on distance units, but am familiar with coding.  Keep it simple:

    feet
    yards
    meters
    etc.

    If there is a floor change involved that could be another measure.

    Ted


    On Sat, Jul 19, 2008 at 11:21 AM, emily amdurer <emilyamdurer@yahoo.com> wrote:
    My colleagues and I are conducting a network study in which we will examine how an office relocation and change of layout and physical distance between employees' workspaces impacts the organization's social network. Can anyone suggest a way to code/measure physical distance between employees' workspaces? If you are aware of any studies or literature that deal with this topic, please email the references.

    Thank you in advance.
     
     

    Emily Amdurer, PhD Student

    Department of Organizational Behavior

    CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

    10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106

    E-mail: emilyamdurer@yahoo.com; eea11@case.edu

     





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    Theodore H. Rosen, Ph.D.
    office: 301.493.9570
    mobile: 301.717.7307
    e-mail: throsen@gwu.edu
    USA


  • 4.  Coding physical distance in network studies

    Posted 07-20-2008 09:18
    There was something else in the org beh literature that was older. It looked at what happened when a newspaper moved the reporters to a new building separate from the printing press and the negative impact this move had on the entire dynamics of getting the paper out each day. Can't even begin to remember the reference because it was years ago. The sociology stuff like that seminal paper (again I am terrible at remembering references) that linked physical proximity in the senior housing apartment building with friendships is something else that will at least help set a context. There is an entire older org beh literature that looks at physical layout, open vs closed offices, etc. that might have something you can use for at least the literature review. You should find stuff in the sociology literature on networks (at least the early stuff – might have to search on sociogram as I think that is what networks initially used to plot them prior to all the network analysis programs out there. If you aren't already on SOCNET (the social network e-list – you can find a link to join by going to the UCINET page) you might want to join and ask there. There are people from a ton of different fields who are interested in networks on that list and they are helpful.

    Carolyn


    On 7/19/08 12:55 PM, "Janet Barnes-Farrell" <Janet.Barnes-Farrell@UCONN.EDU> wrote:

    Emily,
     
    I don't have a direct reference for you, but you might try contacting Dan O'Shea at The Hartford (danoshea26ATyahooDOTcom ).  His dissertation research was concerned with the impact of building design on social capital, and I seem to recall that physical proximity (measured in feet, I believe, but not sure, this was several years ago) was one of his measures.
     
    Janet Barnes-Farrell
    _____________________________
    Janet L. Barnes-Farrell, Ph.D.
    Department of Psychology
    University of Connecticut
    Storrs, CT USA 06269-1020
    Janet.Barnes-Farrell@uconn.edu

    From: emily amdurer <mailto:emilyamdurer@YAHOO.COM>  
    Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2008 11:21 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Subject: Coding physical distance in network studies

    My colleagues and I are conducting a network study in which we will examine how an office relocation and change of layout and physical distance between employees' workspaces impacts the organization's social network. Can anyone suggest a way to code/measure physical distance between employees' workspaces? If you are aware of any studies or literature that deal with this topic, please email the references.

    Thank you in advance.
     
     
    Emily Amdurer, PhD Student

    Department of Organizational Behavior

    CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

    10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106

    E-mail: emilyamdurer@yahoo.com <mailto:emilyamdurer@yahoo.com> ; eea11@case.edu <mailto:eea11@case.edu>

     





  • 5.  Coding physical distance in network studies

    Posted 07-20-2008 09:31
    Also there was just (as in this week and maybe last week) an entire discussion on coding physical distance and networks along with a summary to the list on literature in Social Networks Discussion Forum <SOCNET@LISTS.UFL.EDU>. I am presuming this is part of your research group. If not that should be a wealth of information.

    Carolyn


    On 7/20/08 6:17 AM, "Carolyn Birmingham" <carolyn@uidaho.edu> wrote:

    There was something else in the org beh literature that was older. It looked at what happened when a newspaper moved the reporters to a new building separate from the printing press and the negative impact this move had on the entire dynamics of getting the paper out each day. Can't even begin to remember the reference because it was years ago. The sociology stuff like that seminal paper (again I am terrible at remembering references) that linked physical proximity in the senior housing apartment building with friendships is something else that will at least help set a context. There is an entire older org beh literature that looks at physical layout, open vs closed offices, etc. that might have something you can use for at least the literature review. You should find stuff in the sociology literature on networks (at least the early stuff – might have to search on sociogram as I think that is what networks initially used to plot them prior to all the network analysis programs out there. If you aren't already on SOCNET (the social network e-list – you can find a link to join by going to the UCINET page) you might want to join and ask there. There are people from a ton of different fields who are interested in networks on that list and they are helpful.

    Carolyn


    On 7/19/08 12:55 PM, "Janet Barnes-Farrell" <Janet.Barnes-Farrell@UCONN.EDU> wrote:

    Emily,
     
    I don't have a direct reference for you, but you might try contacting Dan O'Shea at The Hartford (danoshea26ATyahooDOTcom ).  His dissertation research was concerned with the impact of building design on social capital, and I seem to recall that physical proximity (measured in feet, I believe, but not sure, this was several years ago) was one of his measures.
     
    Janet Barnes-Farrell
    _____________________________
    Janet L. Barnes-Farrell, Ph.D.
    Department of Psychology
    University of Connecticut
    Storrs, CT USA 06269-1020
    Janet.Barnes-Farrell@uconn.edu

    From: emily amdurer <mailto:emilyamdurer@YAHOO.COM>  
    Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2008 11:21 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Subject: Coding physical distance in network studies

    My colleagues and I are conducting a network study in which we will examine how an office relocation and change of layout and physical distance between employees' workspaces impacts the organization's social network. Can anyone suggest a way to code/measure physical distance between employees' workspaces? If you are aware of any studies or literature that deal with this topic, please email the references.

    Thank you in advance.
     
     
    Emily Amdurer, PhD Student

    Department of Organizational Behavior

    CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

    10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106

    E-mail: emilyamdurer@yahoo.com <mailto:emilyamdurer@yahoo.com> ; eea11@case.edu <mailto:eea11@case.edu>

     





  • 6.  Coding physical distance in network studies

    Posted 07-20-2008 10:54

    Emily,

     

    You may want to check out the following paper which coded for same corridor, same floor, same building, and different buildings in order to determine the likelihood of collaboration:

     

    Kraut, R. E., Egido, C., & Galegher, J. (1990). Patterns of contact and communication in scientific research collaboration. In J. Galegher, R. Kraut & C. Egido (Eds.), Intellectual teamwork: Social and technological bases of cooperative work (pp. 149-171). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

     

    Best,

    Kevin Rockmann

     

    -----------------------------------------------

    Kevin W. Rockmann

    Assistant Professor, School of Management

    George Mason University

    217 Enterprise Hall, MS 5F5

    Fairfax, VA 22030

     

     

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu] On Behalf Of emily amdurer
    Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2008 11:22 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Subject: Coding physical distance in network studies

     

    My colleagues and I are conducting a network study in which we will examine how an office relocation and change of layout and physical distance between employees' workspaces impacts the organization's social network. Can anyone suggest a way to code/measure physical distance between employees' workspaces? If you are aware of any studies or literature that deal with this topic, please email the references.

    Thank you in advance.

     

     

    Emily Amdurer, PhD Student

    Department of Organizational Behavior

    CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

    10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106

    E-mail: emilyamdurer@yahoo.com; eea11@case.edu

     

     



  • 7.  Coding physical distance in network studies

    Posted 07-21-2008 05:47
    I recall reading that Dr. Karen Stephenson had done some work on local
    distance and office design in social networks. You can find her contact
    contact info at http://www.drkaren.us/index.htm

    Loretta L. Donovan
    President
    Worksmarts Group
    Strategic collaboration for business results

    Co-owner, AI Consulting
    www.aiconsulting.org

    tel: 914-779-3246
    mobile: 914-309-3952
    Skype: worksmarts


  • 8.  Coding physical distance in network studies

    Posted 07-21-2008 09:36
    Check out some of Dan Brass' earlier work on networks.  I believe that is where you will find the study of the newspaper office.  Here are some other cites from his web page on antecedents and consequences of networks:
    Physical and Temporal Proximity
         
             Festinger, Schacter, & Back, 1950 - physically close neighbors became
            friends.
     
         Monge & Eisenberg, 1987 - telephone, e-mail may moderate, but  
           proximate ties are easier to maintain and more likely to be strong,
           stable,  positive.
     
         Borgatti & Cross, 2003 – proximity mediated the relationship between
            knowing what the person knows, valuing it, and timely access with
             information seeking   



    On 7/21/08 4:46 AM, "Loretta Donovan" <loretta.donovan@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

    I recall reading that Dr. Karen Stephenson had done some work on local
    distance and office design in social networks. You can find her contact
    contact info at http://www.drkaren.us/index.htm

    Loretta L. Donovan
    President
    Worksmarts Group
    Strategic collaboration for business results

    Co-owner, AI Consulting
    www.aiconsulting.org

    tel: 914-779-3246
    mobile: 914-309-3952
    Skype: worksmarts



  • 9.  Coding physical distance in network studies

    Posted 07-23-2008 17:26
    Dear Emily:
     
        Sorry to be so late to "chime in" regarding your question on measuring distance, but I've been out of my office for a couple of weeks.  You might try to enlist some help on finding distance measures from folks outside of our discipline.  Our colleagues in Operations Management, and particularly individuals who specialize in organizational layout, deal with the question of "distance" all the time.  The answers are not necessarily straightforward--i.e., "distance" may be different if information is traveling versus a person or some other physical entity.  But if you have colleagues in Operations Management, they may be able to point you to someone who could help you determine what type of measure would be best for your situation.  Again, sorry to be late, and I'll be interested in reading your research, when it's ready for an audience!  --  Gayle
     
    Gayle Baugh
    Associate Professor of Management
    Department of Management & MIS
    University of West Florida
    11000 University Parkway
    Pensacola, Florida  32514-5752
    (850) 474-2206 (office)
    (850) 474-2314 (FAX)

    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu] On Behalf Of emily amdurer
    Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2008 10:22 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Subject: Coding physical distance in network studies

    My colleagues and I are conducting a network study in which we will examine how an office relocation and change of layout and physical distance between employees' workspaces impacts the organization's social network. Can anyone suggest a way to code/measure physical distance between employees' workspaces? If you are aware of any studies or literature that deal with this topic, please email the references.

    Thank you in advance.
     
     

    Emily Amdurer, PhD Student

    Department of Organizational Behavior

    CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

    10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106

    E-mail: emilyamdurer@yahoo.com; eea11@case.edu