Sociometric Badges Research Articles

Quantifying worker interactions and characterizing worker performance through ubiquitous IoT

Cloud technologies and artificial intelligence are transforming call centers into intelligent relationship hubs. Such transformation requires call-center employees to be strategically connected based on the distribution of expertise. However, today’s organizations lack a real-time method to agilely and pervasively map knowledge-distribution and optimize information flow. We present a pilot study showing that the interactions captured by Zigbee and infrared (IR) Internet of things (IoT) sensors on sociometric badges (a business-card-sized printed circuit board) worn by 36 employees in a call center can be used to characterize interactions and their impact on employee performance. Specifically, we quantify an employee’s centrality, weak ties, and strong ties from sensor network data and analyze the effects on average task-processing time. Further analysis reveals insights into interactions among workers that were previously limited by coarse qualitative data in survey studies. This study points to the potential of a “living lab” approach for investigating the effects of employee interactions and behaviors on their performance quantitatively in the real word using ubiquitous IoT.

Can smart technology make group members more creative? The effect of interactive feedback using sociometric badges on members’ creativity

ABSTRACT Smart technologies that provide immediate and timely feedback may unleash far greater individual creativity in teams. Yet until now, we possess little empirical research to assess whether such promise matches reality. Using interactive feedback on the participation of team members during a discussion, we examine whether interactive feedback encourages individual team members to experience a higher self-efficacy in their partake of group discussion, and thereby boost their creative potential. We conducted a laboratory study in which 176 individuals (59 groups) were randomly assigned to either the interactive feedback or control condition. In the interactive feedback condition, participants wore sociometric badges that provided real-time feedback on their relative participation rate during the group discussion. In the control condition, participants wore sociometric badges that did not provide any feedback. Results showed that individuals in the feedback condition experienced increased participatory self-efficacy, which, in turn, was related to higher individual creativity. In addition, we identified team reflexivity as a key group-level moderator such that when individuals worked in highly reflexive teams, they demonstrated a further boost in their participatory self-efficacy under the feedback condition.

Effects of Seating Arrangement on Students' Interaction in Group Reflective Practice

In the conducted field experiment, we explore the intensity of university students' interaction related to the seating arrangement (circle or rows) in pre-service teachers' groups during the reflective practice. We also probe the differences across the various fields of study and evaluate the facilitator's influence on the interaction. We use wearable electronic Sociometric badges 2.0 to measure the interaction intensity (assessed by speech rate and average speaking segment length). We performed a total of 153 repeated measurements on 58 students in 4 different fields of study (Mathematics, Physics, Music, and Civic Education) using a counterbalanced design with a total of four measurements (two in circle and two in rows) in each group. Results of the multilevel modeling analysis indicate more intensive interaction in rows than in circles. However, the findings also indicate significant moderation by the field of study and partially by the extent of facilitator involvement.

Social Network Analysis of Intensive Care Unit Health Care Professionals Measured by Wearable Sociometric Badges: Longitudinal Observational Study.

BackgroundUse of wearable sensor technology for studying human teamwork behavior is expected to generate a better understanding of the interprofessional interactions between health care professionals.ObjectiveWe used wearable sociometric sensor badges to study how intensive care unit (ICU) health care professionals interact and are socially connected.MethodsWe studied the face-to-face interaction data of 76 healthcare professionals in the ICU at Mie University Hospital collected over 4 weeks via wearable sensors.ResultsWe detail the spatiotemporal distributions of staff members’ inter- and intraprofessional active face-to-face interactions, thereby generating a comprehensive visualization of who met whom, when, where, and for how long in the ICU. Social network analysis of these active interactions, concomitant with centrality measurements, revealed that nurses constitute the core members of the network, while doctors remain in the periphery.ConclusionsOur social network analysis using the comprehensive ICU interaction data obtained by wearable sensors has revealed the leading roles played by nurses within the professional communication network.

How ICU Patient Severity Affects Communicative Interactions Between Healthcare Professionals: A Study Utilizing Wearable Sociometric Badges.

Numerous factors affecting the interactions between healthcare professionals in the workplace demand a comprehensive understanding if the quality of patient healthcare is to be improved. Our previous cross-sectional analysis showed that patient severity scores [i.e., Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II] in the 24 h following admission positively correlated with the length of the face-to-face interactions among ICU healthcare professionals. The present study aims to address how the relationships between patient severity and interaction lengths can change over a period of time during both admission and treatment in the ICU. We retrospectively analyzed data prospectively collected between 19 February to 17 March 2016 from an open ICU in a University Hospital in Japan. We used wearable sensors to collect a spatiotemporal distribution dataset documenting the face-to-face interactions between ICU healthcare professionals, which involved 76 ICU staff members, each of whom worked for 160 h, on average, during the 4-week period of data collection. We studied the longitudinal relationships among these interactions, which occurred at the patient bedside, vis-à-vis the severity of the patient's condition [i.e., the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score] assessed every 24 h. On Day 1, during which a total of 117 patients stayed in the ICU, we found statistically significant positive associations between the interaction lengths and their SOFA scores, as shown by the Spearman's correlation coefficient value (R) of 0.447 (p < 0.01). During the course of our observation from Day 1 to Day 10, the number of patients (N) who stayed in the ICU gradually decreased (N = 117, Day1; N = 10, Day 10), as they either were discharged or died. The statistically significant positive associations of the interaction lengths with the SOFA scores disappeared from Days 2 to 6, but re-emerged on Day 7 (R = 0.620, p < 0.05) and Day 8 (R = 0.625, p < 0.05), then disappearing again on Days 9 and 10. Whereas all 6 SOFA sub-scores correlated well with the interaction lengths on Day 1, only a few of the sub-scores (coagulation, cardiovascular, and central nervous system scores) did so; specifically, those on Days 7 and 8. The results suggest that patient severity may play an important role in affecting the interactions between ICU healthcare professionals in a time-related manner on ICU Day 1 and on Days 7/8.

Engineering serendipity: When does knowledge sharing lead to knowledge production?

Research SummaryWe investigate how knowledge similarity between two individuals is systematically related to the likelihood that a serendipitous encounter results in knowledge production. We conduct a field experiment at a medical research symposium, where we exogenously varied opportunities for face‐to‐face encounters among 15,817 scientist‐pairs. Our data include direct observations of interaction patterns collected using sociometric badges, and detailed, longitudinal data of the scientists' postsymposium publication records over 6 years. We find that interacting scientists acquire more knowledge and coauthor 1.2 more papers when they share some overlapping interests, but cite each other's work between three and seven times less when they are from the same field. Our findings reveal both collaborative and competitive effects of knowledge similarity on knowledge production outcomes.Managerial SummaryManagers often try to stimulate innovation by encouraging serendipitous interactions between employees, for example by using office space redesigns, conferences and similar events. Are such interventions effective? This article proposes that an effective encounter depends on the degree of common knowledge shared by the individuals. We find that scientists who attend the same conference are more likely to learn from each other and collaborate effectively when they have some common interests, but may view each other competitively when they work in the same field. Hence, when designing opportunities for face‐to‐face interactions, managers should consider knowledge similarity as a criteria for fostering more productive exchanges.

Real-time, passive measurement of communication during family leisure: An exploratory study of wearable sociometric badges

Research on family communication in the leisure context has been limited to retrospective survey reconstructions of perceptions of communication patterns. This study examines the validity of sociometric badges for measuring family communication in real-time. Seven families (married, two-parent families with at least one child ages 4–17 years) wore sociometric badges during a 30-minute leisure activity in a lab setting. We compared mean badge estimates of family communication duration to mean coded video data from the same 30-minute sessions. Intraclass correlation coefficients indicated sociometric badges are not as reliable as video-coded estimates of speech; however, among parents, non-significant mean comparisons partially support the validity of sociometric badges. Deviation scores indicated average differences between the two methods to be less than three minutes. We urge scholars to proceed with cautious optimism if using sociometric badges for real-time communication data collection, and to pair badges with other data collection methods.

Feasibility and acceptability of a novel tool for the study of interpersonal processes in psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy process research methods often require extensive time and resources. Technology innovations, such as wearable sensors, have the potential to increase the efficiency of process data collection and processing. One such tool is the Sociometric Badge (SB), which is a portable, palm-sized device that can simultaneously record raw audio and data on social signals (e.g., speech patterns, body movement) in real-time and in varied contexts. In addition to describing the nature and implications of wearable sensing devices for psychotherapy research, this article reports results from a pilot study that examined the feasibility and acceptance of these assessment devices in comparison with traditional audio recording equipment. Undergraduate students (N = 306; Mage = 19.16 years, SD = 1.44; 50.3% female) were randomly placed into 153 dyads to mimic a psychotherapy dyad. Each dyad was randomly assigned to either a SB condition (n = 75 dyads) or a standard recording device condition (n = 78 dyads), and engaged in a conversation task. Participants completed self-report items assessing perceived relationship quality and experience with the respective recording device. Between-condition tests showed that perceived relationship quality did not differ between conditions. Participants in the audio recorder (vs. SB) condition reported more awareness of the device in the room. These findings reveal comparable acceptability and feasibility of SBs to traditional audio recorders in a simulated dyad, suggesting that wearable sensing devices may be suitable for research and practice in routine psychotherapy contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Silence is golden: the role of team coordination in health operations

PurposeThis study investigates the relationships between team dynamics and performance in healthcare operations. Specifically, it explores, through wearable sensors, how team coordination mechanisms can influence the likelihood of surgical glitches during routine surgery.Design/methodology/approachBreast surgeries of a large Italian university hospital were monitored using Sociometric Badges – wearable sensors developed at MIT Media Lab – for collecting objective and systematic measures of individual and group behaviors in real time. Data retrieved were used to analyze team coordination mechanisms, as it evolved in the real settings, and finally to test the research hypotheses.FindingsFindings highlight that a relevant portion of glitches in routine surgery is caused by improper team coordination practices. In particular, results show that the likelihood of glitches decreases when practitioners adopt implicit coordination mechanisms rather than explicit ones. In addition, team cohesion appears to be positively related with the surgical performance.Originality/valueFor the first time, direct, objective and real time measurements of team behaviors have enabled an in-depth evaluation of the team coordination mechanisms in surgery and the impact on surgical glitches. From a methodological perspective, this research also represents an early attempt to investigate coordination behaviors in dynamic and complex operating environments using wearable sensor tools.

Feasibility of Measuring Face-to-Face Interactions among ICU Healthcare Professionals Using Wearable Sociometric Badges

Feasibility of Measuring Face-to-Face Interactions among ICU Healthcare Professionals Using Wearable Sociometric Badges

Patient satisfaction in emergency department: Unveiling complex interactions by wearable sensors

We analyzed the interaction between patients and providers in the emergency department of a large university hospital using Sociometric Badges. Providers (doctors and nurses) were equipped with wearable sensors (Sociometric Badges), the badges measure body movements and speech energy with accelerometers, microphones, Bluetooth and infrared sensors.Results show that patient satisfaction and service perceptions are greatly influenced by behavioral and network factors. Patients appreciate the physical closeness of the doctors and the providers’ continuous monitoring of their health conditions. They also desire to be actively involved into the communication network with practitioners. In addition, patients perceive positively teams where doctors take the leadership of the communication network and ensure an effective team conversation.

Using social interaction trace data and context to predict collaboration quality and creative fluency in collaborative design learning environments

Abstract Engineering design typically occurs as a collaborative process situated in specific context such as computer-supported environments, however there is limited research examining the dynamics of design collaboration in specific contexts. In this study, drawing from situative learning theory, we developed two analytic lenses to broaden theoretical insights into collaborative design practices in computer-supported environments: (a) the role of spatial and material context, and (b) the role of social interactions. We randomly assigned participants to four conditions varying the material context (paper vs. tablet sketching tools) and spatial environment (private room vs commons area) as they worked collaboratively to generate ideas for a toy design task. We used wearable sociometric badges to automatically and unobtrusively collect social interaction data. Using partial least squares regression, we generated two predictive models for collaboration quality and creative fluency. We found that context matters materially to perceptions of collaboration, where those using collaboration-support tools perceived higher quality collaboration. But context matters spatially to creativity, and those situated in private spaces are more fluent in generating ideas than those in commons areas. We also found that interaction dynamics differ: synchronous interaction is important to quality collaboration, but reciprocal interaction is important to creative fluency. These findings provide important insights into the processual factors in collaborative design in computer-supported environments, and the predictive role of context and conversation dynamics. We discuss the theoretical contributions to computer-supported collaborative design, the methodological contributions of wearable sensor tools, and the practical contributions to structuring computer-supported environments for engineering design practice.

A wearable sales assistant: capturing dynamic nonverbal communication behaviors using sensor technology

Sales research has focused on enhancing selling effectiveness and performance, which largely depends on the abilities and capabilities of the sales force. Interpersonal skills consisting of verbal and nonverbal communication have been identified as a main predictor of sales performance. However, sales researchers face the difficulty of measuring and tracking nonverbal behaviors, since these messages are perceived and processed mainly unconsciously. This field study applies a novel data-collection method in sales research to automatically track nonverbal communication behaviors (i.e., kinesics, paralanguage, and proxemics) of both, the salesperson and the customer, through wearable electronic devices, sociometric badges. The findings indicate positive effects of dynamic (versus restricted/static) nonverbal cues on a salesperson’s charismatic appearance, which, in turn, yields favorable customer responses and sales performance.

Engineering Serendipity: The Role of Cognitive Similarity in Knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Production

We investigate how knowledge similarity between two individuals is systematically related to the likelihood that a serendipitous encounter results in knowledge production. We conduct a natural field experiment at a medical research symposium, where we exogenously varied opportunities for face-to-face encounters among 15,817 scientist-pairs. Our data include direct observations of interaction patterns collected using sociometric badges, and detailed, longitudinal data on the scientists’ post-symposium publication records over six years. We find that interacting scientists acquire and create more knowledge when they share some overlapping research interests, but are less likely to cite each other’s work when they are from similar fields. Our findings reveal both collaborative and competitive effects of knowledge similarity on knowledge production outcomes.

Using sensor technology to capture the structure and content of team interactions in medical emergency teams during stressful moments

In healthcare, action teams are carrying out complex medical procedures in intense and unpredictable situations to save lives. Previous research has shown that efficient communication, high-quality coordination, and coping with stress are particularly essential for high performance. However, precisely and objectively capturing these team interactions during stressful moments remains a challenge. In this study, we used a multimodal design to capture the structure and content of team interactions of medical teams at moments of high arousal during a simulated crisis situation. Sociometric badges were used to measure the structure of team interactions, including speaking time, overlapping speech and conversational imbalance. Video coding was used to reveal the content of the team interactions. Furthermore, the Empatica E4 was used to unobtrusively measure the team leader’s skin conductance to identify moments of high arousal. In total, 21 four-person teamsof technical medicine students in the Netherlands were monitored in a simulation environment while they diagnosed and managed a patient with cardiac arrest. Outcomes of this exploratory study revealed that more effective teams showed greater conversational imbalance than less effective teams, but during moments of high arousal the opposite was found. Also, a number of differences were found for the content of team interaction. Combining sensor technology with traditional measures can enhance our understanding of the complex interaction processes underlying effective team performance, but technological advances together with more knowledge about the simultaneous application of these methods are needed to tap into the full potential of wearable sensor technology in team research.

THE COMMUNICATION STYLE MATTERS: IMPROVING SALES EFFECTIVENESS BY USING SOCIOMETRIC SENSORS

The essence of any successful personal selling interaction is effective communication. Evidence from research on personal selling has provided extensive support for the effectiveness of nonverbal communication. Nevertheless, an individuals’ nonverbal communication style is difficult to measure during a sales conversation, as it is “encoded and decoded unconsciously” (Stewart, Hecker, & Graham, 1987, p. 305). This research introduces wearable sensor technology as a novel and objective approach for measuring nonverbal behaviors (i.e., kinesics, paralanguage, and proxemics) in a sales context using sociometric badges (Kim, McFee, Olguin, Waber, & Pentland, 2012). Findings reveal that salespeople can improve their appeal by making use of a more dynamic communication style (i.e., enhanced posture activity and variation in speech and volume), as opposed to a rather static, adhesive, and monotone communication. We contribute to the sales literature by relating a salesperson’s nonverbal communication behaviors to customer responses. In addition, we reveal various implications for sales executives and offer guidance on how to improve their sales effectiveness and performance.

Validation of a smartphone app to map social networks of proximity.

Social network analysis is a prominent approach to investigate interpersonal relationships. Most studies use self-report data to quantify the connections between participants and construct social networks. In recent years smartphones have been used as an alternative to map networks by assessing the proximity between participants based on Bluetooth and GPS data. While most studies have handed out specially programmed smartphones to study participants, we developed an application for iOS and Android to collect Bluetooth data from participants’ own smartphones. In this study, we compared the networks estimated with the smartphone app to those obtained from sociometric badges and self-report data. Participants (n = 21) installed the app on their phone and wore a sociometric badge during office hours. Proximity data was collected for 4 weeks. A contingency table revealed a significant association between proximity data (ϕ = 0.17, p<0.0001), but the marginal odds were higher for the app (8.6%) than for the badges (1.3%), indicating that dyads were more often detected by the app. We then compared the networks that were estimated using the proximity and self-report data. All three networks were significantly correlated, although the correlation with self-reported data was lower for the app (ρ = 0.25) than for badges (ρ = 0.67). The scanning rates of the app varied considerably between devices and was lower on iOS than on Android. The association between the app and the badges increased when the network was estimated between participants whose app recorded more regularly. These findings suggest that the accuracy of proximity networks can be further improved by reducing missing data and restricting the interpersonal distance at which interactions are detected.

Clustering by well-being in workplace social networks: Homophily and social contagion.

Social interaction among employees is crucial at both an organizational and individual level. Demonstrating the value of recent methodological advances, 2 studies conducted in 2 workplaces and 2 countries sought to answer the following questions: (a) Do coworkers interact more with coworkers who have similar well-being? and, if yes, (b) what are the processes by which such affiliation occurs? Affiliation was assessed via 2 methodologies: a commonly used self-report measure (i.e., mutual nominations by coworkers) complemented by a behavioral measure (i.e., sociometric badges that track physical proximity and social interaction). We found that individuals who share similar levels of well-being (e.g., positive affect, life satisfaction, need satisfaction, and job satisfaction) were more likely to socialize with one another. Furthermore, time-lagged analyses suggested that clustering in need satisfaction arises from mutual attraction (homophily), whereas clustering in job satisfaction and organizational prosocial behavior results from emotional contagion. These results suggest ways in which organizations can physically and socially improve their workplace. (PsycINFO Database Record

Lecturer Sociometric Badge as Digital Platform in Indonesia Higher Education Institutions from Organizational Effectiveness Perspective

Lecturer Sociometric Badge as Digital Platform in Indonesia Higher Education Institutions from Organizational Effectiveness Perspective

Lecturer Sociometric Badge as Digital Platform in Indonesia Higher Education Institutions From Organizational Effectiveness Perspective

Lecturer Sociometric Badge as Digital Platform in Indonesia Higher Education Institutions From Organizational Effectiveness Perspective