PROXIMITY: an update and expansion of the PROXTIME computer program

Area of Science:

• Organizational behavior
• Social network analysis
• Computational social science

Background:

• Kirste and Monge's (1983) PROXTIME program established early methods for proximity calculation.
• Existing tools may lack modern computational capabilities and data handling flexibility.
• Understanding individual proximity is crucial for organizational dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce PROXIMITY, a novel software tool for calculating fluctuating proximity between individuals within organizations.
• To enhance and expand upon the functionalities of the original PROXTIME program.
• To provide versatile proximity outputs for organizational analysis.

Main Methods:

• Development of the PROXIMITY program as a successor to PROXTIME.
• Implementation of updated computational platforms and data processing capabilities.
• Generation of three distinct proximity output types: overall organizational, pairwise individual, and individual-to-multiple.

Main Results:

• PROXIMITY successfully calculates dynamic proximity metrics within organizational structures.
• The program offers enhanced data compatibility and output formats compared to previous versions.
• Provides detailed insights into various levels of interpersonal and group proximity.

Conclusions:

• PROXIMITY serves as a valuable, updated tool for analyzing fluctuating proximity in organizations.
• The program's enhanced features facilitate more comprehensive and flexible proximity calculations.
• Facilitates deeper understanding of social dynamics and relationships within organizations.