Ah, the end of the year — a time when we can wave goodbye to the last year and embrace the future. It’s not just about wrapping up reports and budgets; it’s about laying the groundwork for a new year of possibilities. This year, we at +One have been doing some thinking around propinquity.
Propinquity refers to the degree of physical or psychological proximity between individuals. Building propinquity in the workplace fosters collaboration, teamwork, and a sense of unity among team members.
How did your team or organization fare in fostering propinquity and developing a more connected workplace?
Let’s Reflect, Shall We?
There are three rules to propinquity. Propinquity is fostered when there is opportunity for frequent interactions; when there are opportunities to be physically proximate to each other; and when there is strong affinity. Is your team set up to maximize these three opportunities? If not, why not?
Here’s some questions to ask yourself about the three drivers of propinquity as we close out the year:
Frequency: Are we set up to maximize the frequency of our team’s interaction with each other, both virtually and live?
Proximity: Does the layout of our workspace encourage team interactions? Is our project team composed and organized in ways that foster cross-team interactions?
Affinity: Do we plan for opportunities that enable teams to learn more about each other, in both social and work situations?
In addition to these reflection questions, take a look at your employee survey and see what it tells you about propinquity and culture. Some typical employee survey questions that indirectly measure propinquity include:
- Team collaboration
- Do you feel that teamwork is encouraged and valued in the organization?
- Communication
- How satisfied are you with the communication channels within the company?
- Do you feel comfortable reaching out to colleagues for assistance or information?
- Physical workspace
- Do you feel that the office design promotes a sense of community and connection among employees?
- Openness to feedback
- Do you feel comfortable providing feedback to your colleagues, and do you receive feedback in return?
- How open is the culture to constructive criticism and idea-sharing?
- Shared goals and objectives
- To what extent do you believe that your team shares common goals and objectives?
- Collaboration tools
- How effective are the collaboration tools and technologies in supporting your work with colleagues?
- To what extent does the company promote flexible work arrangements that facilitate collaboration?
- Sense of belonging
- Do you feel a sense of belonging within your team and the organization as a whole?
- How would you rate the overall camaraderie among employees?
Did the organization or team score low on any of these propinquity measures?
Crafting the Plan for a Culture of Connection
Here comes the fun part—the brainstorm! Armed with insights from employee surveys and your own personal reflections, craft strategies aimed at enhancing propinquity in the workplace in the upcoming year. Involve your team for greater buy-in.
Create a whiteboard with sticky notes (real or virtual) to gather your team’s ideas to create a roadmap for the new year around activities that enhance frequency, proximity, and affinity. What goals do you want to achieve? What strategies will help you get there?
Here’s a matrix of how types of activities can foster frequency, proximity, and affinity:
Activity | Proximity | Frequency | Affinity |
Team Meetings | High | High | Moderate |
Casual Coffee Breaks | Moderate | Medium | High |
Collaborative Projects | High | High | High |
Open Workspace Design | High | Moderate | Moderate |
Team Building Activities | Moderate | Medium | High |
Cross-Functional Training | Moderate | Medium | Moderate |
Virtual Coffee Chats | Moderate | High | High |
Recognition Meetings | Moderate | Low | High |
Mentorship Programs | High | Moderate | High |
Informal Social Events | High | Moderate | High |
Wipe the Slate Clean
Let go of any lingering ‘should-haves’ or ‘could-haves,’ and step into the new year with a new mindset and goals around building propinquity for your team. Wipe the slate clean and set new agreements, behaviors, and habits that you and your team want to adopt in the new year. And create accountability by assigning owners to activities and setting deadlines.
Perhaps you want to pick one or two drivers of propinquity and focus on building out those high ROI activities. Or focus on those drivers that you and your team think need improvement. Create a formal or informal agreement with your team members on what each will do to ensure activities occur.
Cheers to a More Connected Tomorrow!
Successful organizations prioritize culture as a driver for growth and success. Studies have consistently shown that a positive workplace culture leads to higher employee engagement, increased productivity, and better retention rates.
Organizations that are successful at fostering propinquity are intentional about what they do. They measure where they can and check on progress over time. Start small and focus on a few high impact activities that will start to foster connection. In the new year, how about opening each meeting with an ice breaker question? Or commit to planning a quarterly game night or happy hour?
As the year draws to a close, let’s toast to a workplace culture that’s not just productive but downright delightful! Here’s to wiping the slate clean, setting the stage for a fantastic new year, and creating a workplace culture that focuses on fostering connection. Cheers to a fabulous year ahead!
About the Author:
Jocelyn Manuel brings two decades of rich and diverse experiences and expertise to her role as Director of Consulting Services at +One. From the first touchpoint throughout the entire client life cycle, Jocelyn is passionate about helping organizations—and the people who comprise them—to achieve lasting success by cultivating a positive and impactful workplace culture.