Proximity in organizational work and collaboration

Part I: Foundations (20%) Define proximity and its variations (e.g., geographic, virtual, cultural, cognitive, organizational). Explain why proximity matters for collaboration, innovation, engagement, and leadership visibility. Reference relevant theories (e.g., cumulative proximity, media richness, hybrid work research). Part II: Organizational & Work-Type Analysis (30%) Assess the current state of work modality (remote, hybrid, in-office). Classify the types of work performed in the organization, such as: Independent knowledge work (e.g., financial analysis, coding) Collaborative/team work (e.g., product design, marketing campaigns) Innovation/problem-solving tasks (e.g., brainstorming, R&D) Customer-facing or client service work Operational or routine work (e.g., HR processing, accounting) Identify challenges and opportunities for each type of work regarding: Information flow and collaboration Employee well-being and belonging Productivity and innovation Part III: Policy Proposal (35%) Outline your Proximity Policy, specifying guidelines for when, how, and how much work should be done remotely or in-person. Address: When: Which types of work or tasks require co-location (e.g., onboarding, innovation sprints, leadership summits)? How: What communication tools, platforms, and norms will be used for different work types (e.g., asynchronous tools for independent work, richer media for innovation sessions)? How Much: Recommended balance of remote vs. in-person time for each work type (e.g., independent work = remote-first, innovation = in-person anchor days). Part IV: Recommendations (15%) Provide 23 actionable recommendations for managers to refine the policy over time. Suggest basic metrics of success (e.g., engagement scores, innovation output, turnover).