Researchers have suggested that for a person their location influences who they interact with and who they will turn to in order to build support for their own agenda.
Christopher Liu, an assistant professor of strategic management at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, said that the study's researchers chose the Senate as "a window into how people rally support for their initiatives."
The Senate was ideal for study because of its rich record-keeping. The researchers analyzed co-sponsorship patterns for bills proposed between 1979 and 2001.
The study found that co-sponsorship of a senator's bill was more likely to come from those sitting near them. Senators sitting close together were also more likely to co-sponsor the same bills. More senior-and therefore more powerful-senators however were not dependent on their senate location for support on legislative initiatives.
Although the study took place in a political forum, its findings have implications for other organizations that are trying to better understand the importance of where their employees are located and how to foster interactions between them.
The study is set to be published in the Strategic Management Journal.
