Proximity and duration in temporary organisations

Abstract

This study focuses on the effects of duration and proximity on collaborative outcomes in temporary organisations. With regard to proximity, it distinguishes between geographical and organisational proximity. The study is based on a regression analysis of an original dataset of 147 temporary organisations in the Netherlands. The results indicate that face-to face contact has a positive impact on the collaborative outcome, whereas the geographical distance between organisations does not seem to matter. Organisations with a high level of organisational proximity are also likely to achieve their goals better than organisations that are rather dissimilar. Furthermore, duration positively influences the relation between face-to-face contacts and goal attainment. However, it appears that duration as such has a negative influence on performance. This study shows that there are important differences between IORs that have to be taken into account since they matter for the level of goal achievement of a collaborative effort.