Exploring the experiences of social non-spatial proximity and team cohesion in hybrid working arrangements

Abstract

The COVID-19 Pandemic accelerated the organisational shift to the hybrid paradigm, challenging the traditional understanding of how teams sustain cohesion where physical presence is varied or inconsistent. Studies have emphasised that collaboration and team effectiveness are best cultivated in person. However, some studies have argued that hybrid teams can sustain adequate connections and cohesion in spite of physical presence. This challenges presumptions on proximity and team cohesion. Literature revealed an interchange between the dimensions of proximity, with social proximity emerging as a crucial dimension in hybrid work arrangements. The purpose of this research was thus to explore how employees in hybrid work environments experience social non-spatial proximity to cultivate team cohesion. The research aims to understand the fundamental aspects of the lived experiences that shape employees’ social ties, their meanings and the techniques that they employ when operating under inconsistent or varied physical presence. The research was conducted through a phenomenological research strategy. The primary data was collected from 11 participants through semi-structured interviews to explore their experiences of social non-spatial proximity to cultivate team cohesion. The findings revealed the strategic use of physical presence and the intentional management of sustaining social proximity, with trust as an anchor. The incidental cohesion that naturally developed during the conventional co-located era was found to be being replaced by the deliberate effort employed by the hybrid teams through new forms of social labour. The findings contribute to theory by providing insights that enhance the understanding of social non-spatial proximity in the hybrid context, to sustain cohesion.