Propinquity- or the state of physical proximity which increases interpersonal interaction. Something much needed in this day of Zoom-meeting-for everything.
Recently the VCU ID Division expanded to its headquarters placing 95% of the entire team (faculty, fellows, staff, Pharm D, OPAT team, nurse practitioner) in the same building, on overlapping floors. With a new conference room, meeting spaces, couches, coffee tables and reading lamps, team interaction soared. Visit to my office increased more than ever. Collaboration and sense of community is surging.
Physical proximity is a major influencer of connectivity, community and (shared) behavior, something which is neatly explored in the book Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change.
Sadly, most of us are blind to the impact of physical space and physical triggers on our behavior.
