A related and highly significant finding of Allen's was his identification of the key role of information gatekeepers.
During the late 1970s, Allen undertook a project to determine how the distance between engineers’ offices affects the frequency of technical communication between them.
The result of that research produced what is now known as the Allen Curve, revealing a strong negative correlation between physical distance and the frequency of communication between work stations.
The finding also revealed the critical distance of 50 meters for weekly technical communication.
This finding was originally documented in Allen’s book, Managing the Flow of Technology.