Consensus building support device, consensus building support method, and consensus building support program

Abstract

To support facilitation of consensus formation.SOLUTION: A consensus building support device includes a processor that executes a program, a storage device that stores the program, and a communication interface that can communicate with a plurality of communication terminals used by a plurality of participants. The processor executes an acquisition process of receiving, from the communication terminals, opinions on a discussion as a result of transmitting, to the plurality of communication terminals, information on the discussion for determining any one option from among a plurality of options, a specification process of specifying an option selected by the participant for each of the opinions received by the acquisition process, a combination process of combining the opinions based on the option specified by the specification process, and a transmission process of transmitting a combination result of combining the opinions by the combination process to the communication terminals.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a consensus building support device, a consensus building support method, and a consensus building support program that support consensus building. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses a requirements confirmation support device. In this requirements confirmation support device, a stakeholder determination means classifies each stakeholder into a cluster, and a cluster distribution generation means generates cluster distribution information of the stakeholders. A requirements definition model generation means generates a cluster distribution model based on the requirements definition model. A satisfaction level measurement means measures satisfaction information for each stakeholder with respect to each item of the requirements definition, and a cluster-specific satisfaction level generation means aggregates the satisfaction information by cluster and calculates the satisfaction level for each cluster. Then, based on this information, a cluster distribution display screen, a requirements definition model display screen, and a cluster-specific satisfaction level display screen are displayed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-217480 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional online deliberative systems, participants post their opinions on multiple options to reach a consensus, but there is no support for deciding on a single option (agreed upon), and the final decision is made by majority vote, making it difficult to reach an agreement that all participants can agree on.

[0005] The present invention aims to support easier consensus building. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A consensus building support device that is one aspect of the invention disclosed in this application is a consensus building support device that has a processor that executes a program, a storage device that stores the program, and a communication interface that can communicate with multiple communication terminals used by multiple participants, and is characterized in that the processor performs the following operations: an acquisition process that receives opinions related to the discussion from the communication terminals as a result of sending information related to a discussion in which one option from multiple options is to be selected to the multiple communication terminals; an identification process that identifies the option selected by the participant for each opinion received by the acquisition process; a combination process that combines the opinions based on the option identified by the identification process; and a transmission process that transmits the combination result in which the opinions are combined by the combination process to the communication terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to support the facilitation of consensus building. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become clear from the following description of the embodiment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of consensus building support. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing details of the consensus building screen. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the system configuration of the consensus building support system. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a database. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a consensus building processing procedure performed by the consensus building support system. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a display screen example 1 of a communication terminal. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example 1 of the opinion history table. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a second example of a display screen of a communication terminal. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a display screen example 3 of a communication terminal. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a fourth example of a display screen of a communication terminal. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a fifth example of a display screen of a communication terminal. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example 2 of the opinion history table. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a display screen example 6 of a communication terminal. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a display screen example 6 of a communication terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] <Figure 1 Consensus building support> 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of consensus building support. A consensus building screen 101 is an example screen showing the results of a consensus building discussion in which participants post their opinions on multiple options in a conventional online discussion system.

[0010] In conventional online discussion systems, regardless of whether they are in the divergence or convergence phase, participants post opinions within a thread on a particular discussion topic and then reply to each opinion. That is, each participant responds while viewing the consensus building screen 101, which displays opinions in a hierarchical structure. In this case, participants respond to a specific opinion at similar times, so many new opinion posts are simultaneously displayed on the consensus building screen 101, making it difficult to view them. Furthermore, because the frequency of opinion posting depends on the operating skills of each participant, participants with low skills are unable to post at the appropriate time, making it difficult for them to participate in the discussion. Due to these issues, it is difficult to ensure sufficient time for viewing and responding.

[0011] Furthermore, the facilitator 100 can make the decision to end each phase, but this depends on the judgment skills of the facilitator 100. It is also possible to use the online discussion system without the facilitator 100, but in that case the decision to end the phase is based on a time limit for the divergence phase, and based on a time limit and a vote for the convergence phase. This type of decision to end the phase is undesirable because it is difficult to say that the discussion has been exhausted and participants will be left dissatisfied.

[0012] Therefore, it is difficult to grasp the agreement status and determine whether or not an agreement has been reached on the consensus building screen 101. As a result, there is no support for deciding on one option (agreement plan), and the final decision is made by majority vote, making it difficult to decide on an agreement plan that satisfies all participants.

[0013] In this embodiment, an online discussion system generates and displays a consensus building screen 102. The consensus building screen 102 summarizes the results of discussions held in round format for one or more chronological rounds 110 (four rounds in FIG. 1 , for example) as a group of integrated opinions 140 of the participants, and displays integrated opinion groups 121-124 for each round 110. The facilitator 100 can view the integrated opinion groups 121-124 in order, reach an agreement in the fourth round, and determine that the discussion has ended.

[0014] In the following description, for the sake of convenience, participants A to E are used as an example, but the number of participants is not limited to 5. Similarly, in the following description, for the sake of convenience, options 1 to 7 are used as an example, but the number of options is not limited to 7.

[0015] <Figure 2 Details of the consensus building screen 102> Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing details of the consensus building screen 102. Fig. 2 shows details of the integrated opinion groups 121 to 124. The nth (n is an integer equal to or greater than 1) round 110 will be referred to as the nth round 110.

[0016] Each of the integrated opinion groups 121 to 124 is composed of individual opinions or integrated opinions that are a combination of multiple individual opinions. An individual opinion is composed of the name of the participant who sent the opinion and a string indicating the content of the opinion. An individual opinion is represented by the symbol 2nmX. m is an integer starting from 1 and indicates the order of sending within the nth round. X is an uppercase alphabet A, B, C, ... that uniquely identifies a participant. When participants A, B, C, ... do not need to be distinguished, they are represented as participant X. Similarly, when individual opinions do not need to be distinguished, they are represented as opinion 2nmX.

[0017] In this example, five participants A to E are discussing which of seven options is best.

[0018] In the first round 110, opinions 211E, 212B, and 213A are displayed.

[0019] In the second round 110, new opinions 221C and 222E are added. Also, opinion 212B and opinion 221C are combined in chronological order. Furthermore, opinion 222E is an opinion in response to opinion 213A and has a different option, so it is combined with opinion 213A as a lower level of opinion 213A.

[0020] In the third round 110, new opinions 231D, 232E, and 233A are added. In addition, opinions 211E, 213A, 231D, 232E, and 233A are combined in chronological order. Note that opinion 213A is the opinion of participant A, who selected option 5 in the first round 110, but in opinion 233A in the subsequent third round 110, participant A selected option 1. For this reason, opinion 213A is included in the combined opinions {opinions 211E, 213A, 231D, 232E, 233A}.

[0021] Furthermore, the opinion 213A is an opinion for the combined opinion {212B, 221C} and has different options from the combined opinion {212B, 221C}, so it is combined with the combined opinion {212B, 221C} as a lower level of the combined opinion {212B, 221C}.

[0022] In the fourth round 110, new opinions 241C and 242B are added. Furthermore, opinions 211E, 213A, 221C, 231D, 232E, 233A, 213A, 241C, and 242B are integrated in chronological order. In other words, because there is now only one shape representing the opinions, the facilitator 100 can intuitively determine that an agreement has been reached in the fourth round 110 and that the discussion has ended. In this example, it can be seen that all of the participants A to E have reached an agreement on option 1. In this embodiment, by supporting the determination of whether or not such an agreement has been reached, it is possible to increase the degree of persuasion of the proposed agreement (option 1) for all of the participants A to E.

[0023] <Figure 3: Example of system configuration for consensus building support system> 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a consensus building support system 300. The consensus building support system 300 includes a consensus building support device 301, a database 302, and a communication terminal 303. The consensus building support device 301, the database 302, and the communication terminal 303 are communicably connected via a network 304 such as the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), or a WAN (Wide Area Network).

[0024] The consensus building support device 301 is a computer that receives opinions input to a communication terminal 303, generates a consensus building screen 102, and transmits the consensus building screen 102 to the communication terminal 303 so that it can be displayed. The communication terminal 303 is a computer used by the participants A to E and the facilitator 100. The database 302 is a storage device that stores option information 320. The option information 320 is information that includes the above-mentioned options 1 to 7. Furthermore, one of the participants A to E may also serve as the facilitator 100.

[0025] <Figure 4: Computers (consensus building support device 301, communication terminal 303)> FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer. The computer 400 includes a processor 401, a storage device 402, an input device 403, an output device 404, and a communication interface (communication IF) 405. The processor 401, the storage device 402, the input device 403, the output device 404, and the communication IF 405 are connected via a bus 406. The processor 401 controls the computer 400. The storage device 402 serves as a working area for the processor 401. The storage device 402 is a non-transitory or temporary recording medium that stores various programs and data. Examples of the storage device 402 include a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), and a flash memory. The input device 403 inputs data. Examples of the input device 403 include a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a numeric keypad, a scanner, a microphone, and a sensor. The output device 404 outputs data. The output device 404 may be, for example, a display, a printer, or a speaker. The communication IF 405 connects to a network and transmits and receives data.

[0026] <Figure 5 Database 302> 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of database 302. Database 302 stores option information 320. Options information 320 has existing options 500 and option group 501 (multiple options 1 to 7). Existing options 500 are character strings indicating the theme of the discussion, and prompt participants A to E to decide on one option from option group 501 (multiple options 1 to 7).

[0027] <Figure 6 Consensus building processing procedure by the consensus building support system 300> FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a consensus building process performed by the consensus building support system 300.

[0028] (Step S600) The consensus building support device 301 sets the number of rounds n to n=1, reads option information 320 from the database 302, and transmits the start of the nth round 110, the time limit for the nth round, and the option information 320 to the communication terminal 303. Upon receiving the start of the nth round 110, the communication terminal 303 counts down the time limit. After this, the nth round 110 is discussed by the participants A to E. The time limit is set arbitrarily in the consensus building support device 301. For example, the time limit is 10 minutes.

[0029] (Step S601) The consensus building support apparatus 301 acquires the opinion 2nmX of the participant X. Specifically, for example, the consensus building support apparatus 301 receives the opinion information of the participant X from the communication terminal 303. The opinion information includes the opinion 2nmX and its transmission date and time (which may be the date and time when the opinion 2nmX was entered). Furthermore, if the participant X specifies on the communication terminal 303 that the opinion 2nmX is an opinion that responds to another previous opinion, the opinion information also includes designation information that designates the responding opinion.

[0030] [Figure 7 Display screen example 1 (1st round 110)] Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a display screen example 1 of the communication terminal 303. Fig. 7 shows an example of a display screen 700 displayed on the communication terminal 303 of participant E. The display screen 700 has an option information display area 701, an opinion list display area 702, a combined opinion display area 703, an opinion input area 704, a remaining time display area 705, an agreement state display area 706, and a participant display area 707.

[0031] The option information display area 701 is an area that displays the option information 320. The opinion list display area 702 is an area that displays response source designation information that designates the opinion 2nmX displayed in the combined opinion display area 703 as the response source. The combined opinion display area 703 is an area that displays the combined results in step S604, which will be described later. The opinion input area 704 is an area where the participant X inputs the opinion 2nmX and displays the input opinion 2nmX. By pressing the send button 740, the opinion 2nmX input in the opinion input area 704 is sent to the consensus building support apparatus 301.

[0032] The remaining time display area 705 is an area that displays the remaining time after the time limit for the nth round 110 has been counted down. The agreement status display area 706 is an area that displays the agreement status, which indicates whether or not an agreement has been reached in the discussion. The agreement status display area 706 displays "agreement not reached" by default, and changes to "agreement reached" when agreement is received from the consensus building support device 301. The participant display area 707 is an area that displays the participant name of participant X.

[0033] [Figure 8 Opinion History Table Example 1 (1st Round 110)] 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an opinion history table example 1. The opinion history table 800 is a table for recording the opinion 2nmX acquired in step S601, and is stored in the storage device 402.

[0034] The opinion history table 800 has the following fields: round 110, transmission date and time 801, responding opinion 802, and input opinion 803. The transmission date and time 801 is the date and time when the communication terminal 303 transmitted the input opinion 803. Note that instead of the transmission date and time 801, it may be the date and time when the participant X of the communication terminal 303 inputs the input opinion 803 into the communication terminal 303, or the date and time when the consensus building support apparatus 301 receives the input opinion 803.

[0035] The response source opinion 802 is the opinion that is the response source of the input opinion 803, and is identified by the specification information acquired in step S601. The response source opinion 802 has a response source participant 821 and a response source opinion content 822. The response source participant 821 is participant X who transmitted the response source opinion content 822. The response source opinion content 822 is opinion 2nmX transmitted by the response source participant 821.

[0036] The input opinion 803 is opinion information transmitted from the communication terminal 303 at the transmission date and time 801, and specifically includes, for example, an input participant 831 and an input opinion content 832. The input participant 831 is participant X who transmitted the input opinion content 832. The input opinion content 832 is opinion 2nmX transmitted by the input participant 831. That is, the entry on the first line is opinion 211E, the entry on the second line is opinion 212B, and the entry on the third line is opinion 213A.

[0037] (Step S602) Returning to FIG. 6, the consensus building support apparatus 301 extracts the opinion 2nmX (input opinion 803) acquired in step S601 during the current n-th round 110 from the opinion history table 800.

[0038] (Step S603) The consensus building support device 301 identifies the option selected by the participant X in the input opinion 803 extracted in step S602. Specifically, for example, the consensus building support device 301 identifies the option included in the input opinion content 832 of the input opinion 803 extracted in step S602 as the option selected by the input participant 831.

[0039] Furthermore, depending on the context of the input opinion content 832, it may be difficult to identify whether the options included in the input opinion content 832 are options that the input participant 831 supports or opposes. Therefore, the consensus building support device 301 may use a learning model that has been machine-learned in advance to identify the options that the input participant 831 supports (or opposes). For the sake of convenience, the following description will be given of options that the input participant 831 supports, but the same can be applied to options that the input participant 831 opposes.

[0040] Specifically, for example, the consensus building support device 301 inputs the input opinion content 832 of the input opinion 803 extracted in step S602 into a learning model that estimates the option that participant X agrees with, and outputs the estimated option that input participant 831 agrees with.

[0041] This learning model is, for example, a classifier that has been machine-learned using a training data set that is a combination of training data indicating pre-prepared opinion content and correct answer data that are options that people agree with. The learning model may also be implemented in a computer that can communicate with the consensus building support device 301.

[0042] In the first round 110, the estimated choice for participant E in opinion 211E is "option 1," the estimated choice for participant B in opinion 212B is "option 6," and the estimated choice for participant A in opinion 213A is "5."

[0043] (Step S604) The consensus building support device 301 combines multiple opinions 2nmX that support the same option. Specifically, for example, the consensus building support device 301 groups multiple opinions 2nmX that have the same estimated option, and combines the opinions 2nmX in each group in order of oldest transmission date and time 801.

[0044] In addition, when a participant X selects a different option from that of another participant Y (≠X) using the opinion 2nmY of the other participant Y (≠X) as the response source, the consensus building support device 301 combines the opinion 2nmX of participant X with the opinion 2nmY as an opinion at a lower level than the response source opinion 2nmY.

[0045] Furthermore, even if a participant X selects a different option from another participant Y using the opinion 2nmY of another participant Y as a response source, if the participant X ultimately selects the same option as the option selected by the other participant Y with the opinion 2nmX, the consensus building support device 301 combines the series of opinions 2nmX of the participant X and the opinion 2nmY of the other participant Y into the same group.

[0046] The combined opinion 2nmX is called a combined result. A combined result exists for each group. In the first round 110, since there is no opinion 2nmX with the same estimated option, opinion 211E, opinion 212B, and opinion 213A are not combined with each other. In other words, each of opinion 211E, opinion 212B, and opinion 213A indicates a combined result consisting of only one opinion 2nmX.

[0047] (Step S605) The consensus building support apparatus 301 transmits the combined results in step S604 to the communication terminal 303. In the first round 110, the consensus building support apparatus 301 transmits the opinion 211E, the opinion 212B, and the opinion 213A to each communication terminal 303 as combined results.

[0048] In the first round 110, the opinion 211E, the opinion 212B, and the opinion 213A are not combined, and therefore the opinion 211E, the opinion 212B, and the opinion 213A are displayed on the communication terminal 303 as independent figures as combined results.

[0049] The processes in steps S601 to S605 described above are executed every time an opinion 2nmX is acquired.

[0050] [Figure 9 Display screen example 2 (1st round 110)] 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a display screen example 2 of the communication terminal 303. FIG. 9 shows the display screen 700 of the communication terminal 303 of participant E, and shows a state in which opinions 211E, 212B, and 213A, which are the combined results, are displayed in the combined opinion display area 703 in the first round 110. Specifically, for example, participant E inputs "I support option 1, which can be explained directly to a large number of people," as opinion 211E in the opinion input area 704 and presses the send button 740, causing the communication terminal 303 to send opinion 211E.

[0051] Through the processing of steps S601 to S605, the consensus building support apparatus 301 transmits the opinion 211E to all communication terminals 303. The communication terminals 303 display the opinion 211E in the combined opinion display area 703. The opinions 212B and 213A are also displayed in the combined opinion display area 703 in the same manner.

[0052] (Step S606) Returning to FIG. 6, the consensus building support device 301 determines whether the discussion state is one in which an agreement has been reached in the nth round 110. Specifically, for example, the consensus building support device 301 determines whether a notification of agreement has been received from the communication terminal 303 of the facilitator 100 within a certain period of time after the time limit for the nth round 110 has expired. If a notification of agreement has been received (step S606: Yes), the process proceeds to step S607. If a notification of agreement has not been received (step S606: No), the process proceeds to step S608.

[0053] (Step S607) The consensus building support device 301 notifies the communication terminal 303 that an agreement has been reached. As a result, the agreement status display area 706 on the display screen 700 of the communication terminal 303 changes from "Agreement not reached" to "Agreement achieved." This ends the consensus building support process.

[0054] (Step S608) The consensus building support device 301 determines whether the discussion state is unable to converge in the nth round 110. Specifically, for example, the consensus building support device 301 determines whether a notification that convergence is impossible is received from the communication terminal 303 of the facilitator 100 within a certain period of time after the time limit for the nth round 110 has expired. If a notification that convergence is impossible is received (step S608: Yes), the device proceeds to step S609. If a notification that convergence is impossible is not received (step S608: No), the device proceeds to step S610.

[0055] In addition, the consensus building support device 301 may determine that the discussion state is unable to converge if the number of rounds n reaches the upper limit number N (N is a preset integer greater than or equal to 1) even if it has not received a notification that convergence is impossible.

[0056] (Step S609) The consensus building support device 301 notifies the communication terminal 303 that convergence is not possible. As a result, the agreement status display area 706 on the display screen 700 of the communication terminal 303 changes from "agreement not reached" to "convergence not possible." This ends the consensus building support process.

[0057] (Step S610) The consensus building support apparatus 301 increments the number of rounds n, and steps S601 to S605 are then executed in the new n-th round 110.

[0058] [Figure 10 Display screen example 3 (2nd round 110)] Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing display screen example 3 of the communication terminal 303. Fig. 10 shows the display screen 700 of the communication terminal 303 of participant C, and shows the display content at the start of the second round 110 (step S610). In the opinion list display area 702, response source designation information 1011E, 1012B, and 1013A of opinions 211E, 212B, and 213A are displayed so that they can be designated.

[0059] When the communication terminal 303 receives the designation of response source designation information 1011E, 1012B, and 1013A through the operation of participant C, it highlights the received response source designation information 1011E, 1012B, and 1013A. In Fig. 10, the response source designation information 1012B is designated and is highlighted by a thicker frame.

[0060] In conjunction with the designation of the response source designation information 1011E, 1012B, 1013A, the communication terminal 303 highlights the corresponding opinions 211E, 212B, 213A in the combined opinion display area 703. In FIG. 10, the response source designation information 1012B is designated, so the opinion 212B is highlighted in bold. This allows participant C to intuitively understand the opinion 212B sent by participant B within a predetermined period.

[0061] [Figure 11 Display screen example 4 (2nd round 110)] 11 is an explanatory diagram showing display screen example 4 of the communication terminal 303. Fig. 11 is a display screen 700 of the communication terminal 303 of participant C, and shows the display content when an opinion 221C is input in the second round 110. When the response source designation information 1012B is designated in the opinion list display area 702, the opinion 221C is input in the opinion input area 704, and the send button 740 is pressed, the communication terminal 303 designates the opinion 212B as a response source opinion and transmits the opinion 221C to the consensus building support apparatus 301.

[0062] By executing steps S601 to S605, the consensus building support apparatus 301 combines the opinion 212B and the opinion 221C because they are the same options, and transmits the combined result {212B, 221C} to all communication terminals 303. As a result, the communication terminals 303 display the combined result {212B, 221C}, in which the opinion 212B and the opinion 221C are enclosed in a single figure, in the combined opinion display area 703. Also, "Not entered" in the response source designation information 1012B is updated to "Entered".

[0063] When the communication terminal 303 of participant E transmits the opinion 222E with the opinion 213A of participant A as the responding opinion, the consensus building support apparatus 301 executes steps S601 to S605 to combine the opinion 213A of participant A with the opinion 222E of participant E. Since the options of the opinion 213A and the opinion 222E are different, the opinion 222E is combined at a lower level than the opinion 213A, and the combined result [213A, 222E] in which different shapes are combined is displayed.

[0064] [Figure 12 Display screen example 5 (2nd round 110)] Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing display screen example 5 of the communication terminal 303. Fig. 12 is a display screen 700 of the communication terminal 303 of participant E, and shows the display content when an opinion 222E is input in the second round 110. When the response source designation information 1013A is designated in the opinion list display area 702, the opinion 222E is input in the opinion input area 704, and the send button 740 is pressed, the communication terminal 303 designates the opinion 213A as the response source opinion and transmits the opinion 222E to the consensus building support apparatus 301.

[0065] By executing steps S601 to S605, the consensus building support apparatus 301 merges the opinion 222E with the opinion 213A as an opinion in a lower hierarchy of the opinion 213A due to differences in options, and transmits the merged result {213A, 222E} to all communication terminals 303. As a result, the communication terminals 303 display the merged result {213A, 222E} in which the opinion 212B and the opinion 221C are connected using different shapes in the merged opinion display area 703. Also, "Not entered" in the response source designation information 1013A is updated to "Entered".

[0066] [Figure 13 Opinion History Table Example 2 (2nd Round 110)] Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing opinion history table example 2. Fig. 13 shows the update state of the opinion history table 800 in the second round 1109 (n=2). Specifically, for example, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, entries for opinions 221C and 222E are added to the opinion history table 800. Furthermore, opinion 221C is an opinion that specifies opinion 213A as the responding opinion 802, and opinion 222E is an opinion that specifies opinion 212B as the responding opinion 802.

[0067] [Figure 14 Display screen example 6 (3rd round 110)] 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a display screen example 6 of the communication terminal 303. FIG. 14 shows the display screen 700 of the communication terminal 303 of participant E, and shows the display content at the end of the third round 110.

[0068] Specifically, for example, in FIG. 14, opinions 211E, 213A, 231D, 232E, and 233A are combined with option 1 in the combined opinion display area 703 to form the combined result {211E, 213A, 231D, 232E, and 233A}.

[0069] Note that participant A selected option 5 in opinion 213A in the first round 110, but changed to option 1 in opinion 233A in the third round 110, so the combined result {211E, 213A, 231D, 232E, 233A} also includes opinion 213A, which selected option 5. As a result, by referring to the combined result {211E, 213A, 231D, 232E, 233A}, it is possible to understand how participant A changed from option 5 to option 1.

[0070] Furthermore, in the combined opinion display area 703, opinions 212B and 221C are combined with option 6 to form the combined result {212B, 221C}.

[0071] Also, in the combined opinion display area 703, opinion 234A is an opinion that selects option 1, which is different from option 6 of opinions 212B and 221C, but because opinion 212B (or opinion 221C) is the source opinion, it is combined at a lower level of the combined result {212B, 221C}, resulting in the combined result [{212B, 221C}, 234A].

[0072] [Figure 15 Display Screen Example 7 (4th Round 110)] 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a display screen example 6 of the communication terminal 303. Fig. 15 shows the display screen 700 of the communication terminal 303 of participant E, and shows the display content at the end of the fourth round 110.

[0073] Specifically, for example, in FIG. 15, opinions 211E, 213A, 221C, 231D, 232E, 233A, 234A, 241C, and 242B are combined with option 1 in the combined opinion display area 703 to form the combined result {211E, 213A, 221C, 231D, 232E, 233A, 234A, 241C, 242B}.

[0074] In addition, participant A selected option 5 in opinion 213A in the first round 110, but changed to option 1 in opinion 233A in the third round 110, so the combined result {211E, 213A, 221C, 231D, 232E, 233A, 234A, 241C, 242B} also includes opinion 213A, which selected option 5.

[0075] Furthermore, participant C selected option 6 in opinion 221C in the second round 110, but changed to option 1 in opinion 241C in the fourth round 110, so the combined result {211E, 213A, 221C, 231D, 232E, 233A, 234A, 241C, 242B} also includes opinion 221C, which selected option 6.

[0076] As a result, by referring to the combined result {211E, 213A, 221C, 231D, 232E, 233A, 234A, 241C, 242B}, it is possible to understand how participant A changed from option 5 to option 1, and how participant C changed from option 6 to option 1.

[0077] Furthermore, one combined result {211E, 213A, 221C, 231D, 232E, 233A, 234A, 241C, 242B} is displayed in the combined opinion display area 703. Therefore, the facilitator 100 can easily decide to reach a consensus.

[0078] When the consensus building support device 301 receives a notification that agreement has been reached from the communication terminal 303 of the facilitator 100, it transmits an instruction to change the agreement status display area 706 from "agreement not reached" to "agreement reached" to all communication terminals 303. As a result, the agreement status display area 706 is changed from "agreement not reached" to "agreement reached."

[0079] In this way, according to this embodiment, the convergence of the discussion is promoted by combining the opinions of the participants X, and based on the degree of combination, it is possible to easily determine whether the discussion has ended, i.e., whether an agreement has been reached. This makes it possible to support consensus building, which is particularly difficult when there are a large number of participants.

[0080] In the above-described embodiment, the facilitator 100 judges whether or not an agreement has been reached by looking at the display screen 700. However, if the combined results converge to one, the consensus building support device 301 may determine that an agreement has been reached and send an instruction to all communication terminals 303 to change the agreement status display area 706 from "agreement not reached" to "agreement reached."

[0081] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, consensus was reached when the combined result converged to one, but the discussion state may also be considered to have reached consensus in step S606 when the combined result converges to a predetermined number greater than or equal to two.

[0082] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications and equivalent configurations within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to configurations including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, part of the configuration of one embodiment may be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, the configuration of another embodiment may be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, part of the configuration of each embodiment may be added to, deleted from, or replaced with other configurations.

[0083] Furthermore, the aforementioned configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized in part or in whole in hardware, for example by designing them as integrated circuits, or may be realized in software by having a processor interpret and execute a program that realizes each function.

[0084] Information such as programs, tables, files, etc. that realize each function can be stored in storage devices such as memory, hard disks, SSDs (Solid State Drives), or recording media such as IC (Integrated Circuit) cards, SD cards, and DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs).

[0085] In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily represent all the control lines and information lines that are necessary for implementation. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 110 rounds 300 Consensus Building Support System 301 Consensus building support device 303 Communication Terminals 401 processor 402 Storage Devices 405 Communication Interface 501 Choices 700 display screen

Claims

1. A consensus building support device having a processor that executes a program, a storage device that stores the program, and a communication interface that can communicate with a plurality of communication terminals used by a plurality of participants, The processor: an acquisition process for receiving opinions on the discussion from the communication terminals as a result of transmitting information on the discussion for determining one option from among a plurality of options to the plurality of communication terminals; an identification process for identifying an option selected by the participant for each opinion received by the acquisition process; a combining process for combining the opinions based on the options identified by the identifying process; a transmission process of transmitting a combined result obtained by combining the opinions through the combining process to the communication terminal; A consensus building support device that executes the above.

2. The consensus building support device according to claim 1, In the identification process, the opinion is input to a learning model that estimates the option when the opinion is input, and an output result from the learning model is identified as the option selected by the participant. A consensus building support device characterized by:

3. The consensus building support device according to claim 1, In the combining process, the processor combines opinions having the same options, In the transmission process, the processor transmits a first combined result obtained by combining opinions having the same option through the combination process to the communication terminal. A consensus building support device characterized by:

4. The consensus building support device according to claim 3, In the transmission process, the processor transmits the first combined result in a manner that allows the opinions to be displayed as information within the same graphic. A consensus building support device characterized by:

5. The consensus building support device according to claim 1, In the combining process, the processor combines a first opinion in which a first participant selected a first option with a second opinion in which a second participant, responding to the first opinion, selected a second option; In the transmission process, the processor transmits a second combined result obtained by combining the first opinion and the second opinion through the combining process to the communication terminal. A consensus building support device characterized by:

6. The consensus building support device according to claim 5, In the transmission process, the processor transmits the second combination result in a manner that can be displayed as information connecting a first graphic having the first opinion and a second graphic having the second opinion. A consensus building support device characterized by:

7. The consensus building support device according to claim 5, In the combining process, the processor further combines a third opinion in which the first participant selected the second option; In the transmission process, the processor transmits a third combined result obtained by combining the first opinion, the second opinion, and the third opinion through the combining process to the communication terminal. A consensus building support device characterized by:

8. The consensus building support device according to claim 7, In the transmission process, the processor transmits the third combined result in a manner that allows the first opinion, the second opinion, and the third opinion to be displayed as information within the same graphic. A consensus building support device characterized by:

9. The consensus building support device according to claim 1, The processor: repeatedly executing the acquisition process, the identification process, the combination process, and the transmission process within a time limit; A consensus building support device characterized by:

10. The consensus building support device according to claim 9, the processor repeatedly executes a round of repeatedly executing the acquisition process, the identification process, the combination process, and the transmission process within the time limit; A consensus building support device characterized by:

11. The consensus building support device according to claim 10, The processor repeatedly executes the rounds until the combined results converge to one. A consensus building support device characterized by:

12. A consensus building support method executed by a consensus building support device having a processor that executes a program, a storage device that stores the program, and a communication interface that can communicate with multiple communication terminals used by multiple participants, The processor: an acquisition process for receiving opinions on the discussion from the communication terminals as a result of transmitting information on the discussion for determining one option from among a plurality of options to the plurality of communication terminals; an identification process for identifying an option selected by the participant for each opinion received by the acquisition process; a combining process for combining the opinions based on the options identified by the identifying process; a transmission process of transmitting a combined result obtained by combining the opinions through the combining process to the communication terminal; A method for supporting consensus building, comprising:

13. A processor of a consensus building support device having a processor that executes a program, a storage device that stores the program, and a communication interface that can communicate with a plurality of communication terminals used by a plurality of participants, an acquisition process for receiving opinions regarding the discussion from the communication terminals as a result of transmitting information regarding the discussion in which one option from among a plurality of options is selected to the plurality of communication terminals; a determination process for identifying the option selected by the participant for each opinion received by the acquisition process; and a combination process for combining the opinions based on the options identified by the determination process; a transmission process of transmitting a combined result obtained by combining the opinions through the combining process to the communication terminal; A consensus building support program characterized by executing the above.

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