Proximity

Engaging a workforce is both an art and science, and much of it comes down to belonging and proximity. The best companies have known this for years but adapting and evolving how you drive those outcomes is the ongoing challenge. Proximity shows you how. – Juan Orti Ochoa de Ocáriz * President, American Express Spain *
Drawing on two decades of rigorous research and real-world stories, Sebastian Reiche offers a compelling and urgently needed guide to navigating belonging and difference in today’s global workplace. – Jackson G. Lu * chaired professor, MIT Sloan School of Management *
One of the defining leadership challenges of scaling is how to empower people across geographies and cultures without fragmenting the organization. Proximity addresses that question with insight and clarity. Sebastian Reiche shows how companies can balance belonging and difference in today’s workplace, fostering both local autonomy and shared connection across distributed teams. This book will resonate strongly with founders and mid-market leaders navigating growth across borders. – Verne Harnish * Founder, Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and Scaling Up *
Proximity explores the myriad of ways culture shapes the way we think and interact both as citizens and workers. A deep and thoughtful perspective. – Patty McCord * Former Chief Talent Officer at Netflix and author of Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility *
Sebastian Reiche’s Proximity offers a sharp and timely lens on one of modern work’s defining tensions: how to belong without losing distinctiveness. With clarity and intellectual precision, Reiche reframes distance as a dynamic space to manage thoughtfully. The book is especially valuable for global leaders navigating distributed, multicultural, and boundary-spanning teams, offering both conceptual depth and practical relevance. It is a compelling guide for anyone trying to make sense of connection in an increasingly fragmented world. – Paula Caligiuri, PhD * DMSB Distinguished Professor, International Business, Northeastern University, Co-Host, International Business Today *
In an era where organizations operate across ever-shifting boundaries, the ability to build meaningful connection has become a defining leadership capability. This book offers a practical and insightful guide to doing exactly that. It moves beyond abstract discussions of diversity and inclusion to show how leaders can actively bridge difference while strengthening collaboration. Grounded in research yet rich in real-world examples, it provides a clear roadmap for navigating hybrid work, leading distributed teams, and enabling coordination in complex environments. – Dana Minbaeva * Professor of Strategic Human Capital, King’s Business School, King’s College London *
The boundaries that once defined where and how we work are breaking down and volatility has become the norm in the global economy. Work is increasingly distributed across time and place, and this means that we continually struggle to balance our search for difference and belonging, and for separation and connection. In Proximity, Sebastian Reiche expertly charts a course toward cultivating belonging while accommodating our needs for difference. He shows how through transcending our differences, Proximity can make complex collaboration work even in high stakes and highly volatile environments. It should be required reading for any leader managing through the complexity of modern organizational structures combined with the ongoing global economic and policy volatility that has become the norm. – Professor David Collings * Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland *
We live in a time that pulls us apart even as it demands that we work together. In Proximity, Sebastian Reiche leans into this tension with clarity and care, offering a well-researched and deeply considered look at how we navigate difference without losing connection. He reminds us that belonging does not require sameness, and that real collaboration depends on our willingness to hold both individuality and relationships at once. Grounded in research and rich with practical insight, this is a meaningful contribution to the ongoing conversation about how we live and work together in a fractured world. – Jerry Colonna * author, Reunion: Leadership and the Longing to Belong *
In Proximity, Sebastian Reiche shows that the strongest leaders are not those who force sameness, but those who empower others to contribute from their differences while still feeling they belong. That is why empowerment matters so deeply: it creates connection to teams, to organizations, and to purpose. Leaders who empower others do not just help people grow; they create the conditions for enduring business success and for their own effectiveness as leaders. Proximity is an important guide for anyone seeking to lead with both humanity and impact. – Dr. Itziar Canamasas * SVP, Global Head of Oncology at Boehringer Ingelheim, former biotech CEO and non-executive board member *
I have always believed that leadership is, above all, about being close to people. Proximity reminds us that it is possible to build strong teams by being authentic, truly listening, and finding what brings us together without losing what makes us different. An essential read for all those seeking a leadership compass, and especially for those who understand leadership as a relationship, not a position. – Veit Stutz * CEO of Allianz Seguros España *

B. Sebastian Reiche is a tenured professor of People Management and Associate Dean for Faculty at IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain. His research focuses on how to navigate the global and distributed workplace. He has been repeatedly recognized as one of the world’s leading 2% of scientists by Stanford University and Elsevier. His work is regularly covered by media and practitioner outlets around the globe, including The Economist, The Financial Times, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and World Economic Forum.

At IESE, he has directed, designed, and delivered customized Executive Education programs for numerous companies, including ACS Group, Allianz, Boehringer Ingelheim, Deloitte, Salesforce, and SAP. He is a regular keynote speaker and advises global organizations and start-ups in the human capital space.

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