Information processing device, information processing method, program, and information processing system

Abstract

The aim is to make it less likely that employees will feel lonely or alienated. [Solution] The information processing device 1 of this embodiment has a relationship determination unit 134 that determines a relationship index for each member that indicates the strength of the member's relationship with other members based on at least either offline communication data that indicates the state of communication between members belonging to the target organization to be analyzed in their rooms or online communication data that indicates the state of communication between members via a network, and an improvement method determination unit 135 that determines an improvement method for a member whose relationship index is below a predetermined threshold to strengthen their relationship with other members.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, a program, and an information processing system. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a technique for making it easier for employees to communicate with other employees (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-071314 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As working styles of employees become more diverse, employees who find it difficult to communicate with other employees may feel lonely or alienated.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and aims to make it less likely that employees will feel lonely or alienated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention has a relationship determination unit that determines, for each member, a relationship index that indicates the strength of the member's relationship with other members, based on at least one of offline communication data that indicates the state of communication between members belonging to a target organization to be analyzed in their rooms or online communication data that indicates the state of communication between the members via a network, and an improvement method determination unit that determines an improvement method for a member whose relationship index is less than a predetermined threshold to strengthen his or her relationship with other members.

[0007] The information processing device may further have a memory unit that stores score management data that associates at least one of the content, amount, frequency, direction of communication, or the attributes of the other party with a score used to determine the relationship index, and the relationship determination unit may determine the relationship index for each of the members based on a score associated with at least one of the content, amount, frequency, direction of communication, or the attributes of the other party indicated by at least one of the offline communication data or the online communication data.

[0008] The relationship determination unit may determine the relationship index to indicate a stronger relationship for a member with a larger number of other members with whom the amount or frequency of communication is equal to or greater than a threshold.

[0009] The relationship determination unit may determine a relationship index that indicates a relatively weaker relationship compared to other members for a member whose transmission index, which indicates the frequency of topics sent in communication, is below a threshold value and whose reply index, which indicates the frequency, form, or content of replies to the topic, or the time required for the replies, satisfies predetermined conditions.

[0010] The improvement method determination unit may decide to suggest actions for a member whose period of time during which the relationship index is continuously below the specified threshold is equal to or greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold greater than the first threshold, so that the member can communicate with other members, and may decide to send a notification to a terminal used by an administrator of the target organization to which the member belongs, indicating that there is a member whose period of time during which the relationship index is continuously below the specified threshold is equal to or greater than the second threshold.

[0011] The improvement method determination unit may decide to suggest to the member an action related to a topic indicated in at least one of the offline communication data or the online communication data, to which the member, whose relationship index is less than the predetermined threshold, responded favorably.

[0012] The improvement method determination unit may decide to send a notification to a terminal of an administrator of a target organization indicating a target organization among the plurality of target organizations in which the number or percentage of members whose relationship index is less than the predetermined threshold is relatively high.

[0013] The information processing device may further have a conversion unit that converts the sound data into meaningless sound data in a manner that makes it possible to identify the person who uttered the voice indicated by the sound data and makes the content of the statement indicated by the sound data less identifiable than the sound data itself, when the offline communication data is sound data indicating the sounds of the in-room members who are the members present in the room, and a transmission control unit that transmits the meaningless sound data to a terminal used by the out-room members who are the members not present in the room.

[0014] The conversion unit may convert the sound data into meaningless sound data that changes the degree of difficulty in identifying the content of the statements made by the in-room member indicated by the sound data, depending on the strength of the relationship between the in-room member and the out-room member.

[0015] The conversion unit may convert the sound data into meaningless sound data that changes the degree of difficulty in identifying the content of the statements made by the in-room member indicated by the sound data, depending on the degree of concentration of the outside-room member on their work.

[0016] The information processing device may further have a conversion unit that converts the video data into background-free video data in which a background area showing the background in the video data is made difficult to identify, when the offline communication data is video data showing an image including an in-room member who is the member who is present in the room, and a transmission control unit that transmits the background-free video data to a terminal used by an outside-room member who is the member who is not present in the room.

[0017] The conversion unit may convert the video data into background-free video data in which the degree of difficulty in identifying the content of the background shown in the video data is changed depending on the degree of concentration of the outside-room member on their work.

[0018] The conversion unit may convert the video data into background-free video data in which the degree of difficulty in distinguishing the appearance of the room members shown in the video data is changed depending on the strength of the relationship between the room members and the outside room members.

[0019] The conversion unit may convert the video data into background-free video data in which the degree of difficulty in identifying the appearance of the room members shown in the video data is changed depending on the degree of concentration of the room members on their work.

[0020] The information processing device may further include a setting reception unit that receives, from the terminal of the member outside the room, an operation to select either a standard conversion that converts the sound data or the video data into the meaningless sound data or the background-free data so that the difficulty of distinguishing the content of the utterances or the appearance of the in-room member becomes a default value, or an individual conversion that converts the sound data or the video data into the meaningless sound data or the background-free data so that the difficulty of distinguishing the content of the utterances or the appearance of the in-room member becomes an individual value different from the default value, and a transmission control unit that transmits the meaningless sound data or the background-free video data generated based on the default value to the terminal for which the standard conversion is selected, and transmits the meaningless sound data or the background-free video data generated based on the individual value to the terminal for which the individual conversion is selected.

[0021] The information processing device may further include a setting reception unit that receives from the terminal of the in-room member an operation to select either a standard conversion that converts the sound data or the video data into the meaningless sound data or the background-free data so that the difficulty of identifying the content of the utterances or the appearance of the in-room member becomes a default value, or an individual conversion that converts the sound data or the video data into the meaningless sound data or the background-free data so that the difficulty of identifying the content of the utterances or the appearance of the in-room member becomes an individual value different from the default value; and a transmission control unit that, when the setting reception unit receives the operation to select the standard conversion, transmits the meaningless sound data or the background-free video data generated based on the default value to the terminal of the outside member, and, when the setting reception unit receives the operation to select the individual conversion, transmits the meaningless sound data or the background-free video data generated based on the individual value to the terminal of the outside member.

[0022] An information processing method according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a relationship determination step executed by a computer to determine, for each member, a relationship index indicating the strength of the member's relationship with other members based on at least one of offline communication data indicating the state of communication between members belonging to a target organization to be analyzed in their rooms or online communication data indicating the state of communication between the members via a network, and an improvement method determination step to determine an improvement method for a member whose relationship index is less than a predetermined threshold to strengthen his or her relationship with other members.

[0023] A program according to a third aspect of the present invention causes a processor possessed by an information processing device to function as a relationship determination unit that determines, for each member, a relationship index indicating the strength of the member's relationship with other members, based on at least one of offline communication data indicating the state of communication between members belonging to a target organization to be analyzed in their rooms or online communication data indicating the state of communication between the members via a network, and an improvement method determination unit that determines an improvement method for a member whose relationship index is less than a predetermined threshold to strengthen his or her relationship with other members.

[0024] An information processing system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention comprises an information processing device and an information terminal capable of communicating with the information processing device, wherein the information processing device has a relationship determination unit that determines, for each member of a target organization to be analyzed, a relationship index indicating the strength of the member's relationship with other members based on at least one of offline communication data indicating the communication situation between members in their rooms or online communication data indicating the communication situation between the members via a network, and a device communication unit that sends a notification to the information terminal of the administrator of the target organization to which the member belongs, indicating that there is a member whose relationship index is below a predetermined threshold, and the information terminal receives the notification. [Effects of the Invention]

[0025] The present invention has the effect of making it less likely for employees to feel lonely or alienated. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the operation of the information processing system S. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an information processing device 1. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of score management data. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of word management data. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of score result data. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of department requiring intervention data. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the identification difficulty and the sound conversion method or the video conversion method. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for determining an improvement method. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the difference scores of the evaluation results before and after working while listening to sounds. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of each piece of video data. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the difference scores between the evaluation results before and after performing the task while watching the video. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] [Outline of Information Processing System S] An overview of an information processing system S according to this embodiment will be described using Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the operation of the information processing system S. The information processing system S includes an information processing device 1, a manager terminal 2, and an employee terminal 3. The information processing system S may also include other devices such as servers and terminals.

[0028] Members of a company or other organization may include those who work in an office room (hereinafter referred to as "in-room members") and those who work remotely from a location other than an office room (hereinafter referred to as "out-of-room members"). In a so-called hybrid work style where both types coexist, out-of-room members may find it difficult to join in work-related discussions or casual conversations among in-room members in the office. In addition, in-room members may find it difficult to communicate easily with out-of-room members. This can lead to the problem of employees feeling lonely or alienated.

[0029] Therefore, the information processing device 1 determines a relationship index for each member of an organization that indicates the strength of the relationship between the member and other members, and determines an improvement method for members whose relationship index is below a predetermined threshold to strengthen their relationships with other members. By having members or the organization's administrator implement the improvement method determined by the information processing device 1, members who tend to be isolated and do not fit in well with the organization can strengthen their relationships with other members. As a result, members are less likely to feel lonely or alienated.

[0030] The information processing device 1 is connected to a manager terminal 2 and an employee terminal 3 via a communication network such as the Internet. The information processing device 1 is a computer such as a server that determines a relationship index for each member based on communication data that indicates the state of communication between members. The manager terminal 2 is an information terminal used by a member who is a manager of the organization (for example, a member belonging to the human resources department). The employee terminal 3 is an information terminal used by a member who is not a manager of the organization. The manager terminal 2 and the employee terminal 3 may be stationary terminals such as desktop personal computers, or may be portable terminals such as smartphones or tablet personal computers.

[0031] An overview of the processing executed by the information processing device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The members M include a member MO who is an in-room member, a member MT who is an out-of-room member, and a member MK who is an administrator of the organization.

[0032] A microphone installed in the office picks up sounds made by the member MO in the office and transmits sound data representing the picked up sounds as offline communication data to the information processing device 1. A camera installed in the office also captures images of the member MO in the office and transmits video data representing the captured images as offline communication data to the information processing device 1. An employee terminal 3 used by the member MO or member MT transmits chat data representing the content of chats made by the member MO or member MT to the information processing device 1 as online communication data.

[0033] The information processing device 1 transmits the received online communication data and offline communication data to the employee terminal 3 used by the preset member MT. The information processing device 1 transmits, for example, sound data picked up by a microphone installed in the department to which the member MT belongs and video data generated by a camera capturing the area of ​​the department to which the member MT belongs to the employee terminal 3 used by the member MT. The employee terminal 3 outputs sound based on the sound data received from the information processing device 1 from a speaker, and displays video based on the video data received from the information processing device 1 in at least a partial area of ​​the screen. By working while listening to such sounds and with video within view, the member MT is less likely to feel lonely or alienated even when separated from other members MO.

[0034] Based on the received communication data, the information processing device 1 determines a relationship index for each member M that indicates the strength of the relationship between the member M and other members M in the organization. The information processing device 1 determines the relationship index based on the score associated with the content, amount, frequency, direction or attributes of the communication indicated in the received communication data, for example, by referring to score management data in which the content, amount, frequency, direction or attributes of the other party are associated with a score.

[0035] The information processing device 1 determines an improvement method for a member M whose relationship index is less than a predetermined threshold to strengthen his or her relationship with other members M. For example, for a member M who has a somewhat strong tendency toward isolation, whose relationship index is continuously less than the predetermined threshold for a period of not less than a first threshold and less than a second threshold greater than the first threshold, the information processing device 1 suggests an exchange event (such as a lunch meeting) for the member M who has a somewhat strong tendency toward isolation to strengthen his or her relationship with other members M, as shown in FIG. 1. This allows the member M who has a somewhat strong tendency toward isolation to strengthen his or her relationship with other members M through an exchange event before he or she begins to feel lonely or alienated.

[0036] On the other hand, if there is a member M who is highly prone to isolation, for example, whose relationship index is continuously below a predetermined threshold for a period equal to or greater than a second threshold, the information processing device 1 sends an alert indicating the presence of the member M to the administrator terminal 2 used by member MK, who is the administrator of the organization. This allows member MK to conduct an interview survey of the leader of the department to which member M who is highly prone to isolation belongs about the state of member M who is highly prone to isolation, or to propose improvement methods for member M who is highly prone to isolation to strengthen relationships with other members M based on the survey results. As a result, member M who is highly prone to isolation can strengthen relationships with other members M before feeling lonely or alienated.

[0037] In this way, the information processing device 1 determines an improvement method for a member M who tends to be isolated and whose relationship index, determined based on communication data indicating the state of communication between members M, is less than a predetermined threshold, to strengthen his or her relationship with other members M. This allows the member M who tends to be isolated to strengthen his or her relationship with other members M before feeling lonely or alienated. As a result, employees are less likely to feel lonely or alienated, which is expected to have effects such as improving the work environment for employees and reducing the turnover rate.

[0038] Incidentally, in order to prevent the member MT, who is a member outside the room, from feeling lonely or alienated, it is also effective to send audio data or video data showing the communication status of the member MO, who is a member in the room, to the employee terminal 3 used by the member MT. This allows the member MT to share the status of the room with the member MO, making it less likely that the member MT will feel lonely or alienated.

[0039] However, if clear audio or video data is sent as is to the employee terminal 3, there are problems such as the privacy of the member MO who created the audio or the member MO who is included in the video being violated, and the audio or video interfering with the work of the member MT. In other words, it is difficult to protect the privacy of the member MO and maintain the work efficiency of the member MT while preventing the member MT from feeling lonely or alienated.

[0040] As a result of extensive research, the inventors discovered that the work efficiency of member MTs can be maintained by making the content of the member MO's utterances indicated by the sound data difficult to recognize. Therefore, the information processing device 1 converts the sound data into meaningless sound data that makes it possible to identify the member MO who uttered the voice indicated by the sound data, and makes the content of the member MO's utterances indicated by the sound data difficult to recognize compared to the sound data. As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing device 1 transmits the converted sound data, that is, the meaningless sound data, to the employee terminal 3 used by the member MT. The "difficulty in recognizing the content of the utterances" includes a mode in which it is difficult to understand the meaning of the uttered sentence and a mode in which it is difficult to know who made the utterance.

[0041] In this way, by making it possible to identify the member MO who made the sound, the member MT is less likely to feel lonely or alienated. Furthermore, by making it difficult for the member MT to recognize the content of the speech of the member MO who made the sound, the member MO's privacy is protected and the member MT's work efficiency is maintained.

[0042] Furthermore, as a result of extensive research, the inventors have discovered that the work efficiency of member MTs can be maintained by making the background content of video data difficult to recognize. Therefore, the information processing device 1 converts video data into background-free video data in which the background area showing the background in the video data is made difficult to recognize. The background is an area other than the area in which member MOs whose relationship with member MTs is greater than or equal to a threshold are shown. A member MO whose relationship with member MTs is greater than or equal to a threshold is, for example, a member MO who belongs to the same department as member MT.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 1, the information processing device 1 transmits the converted image data, that is, the background-free image data, to the employee terminal 3 used by the member MT. In this way, by allowing the member MT to check the image showing the state of the room on the employee terminal 3 used by the member MT, the member MT is less likely to feel lonely or alienated. Furthermore, by making it difficult to recognize the background in the image data, the work efficiency of the member MT is maintained.

[0044] In this way, the information processing device 1 converts the audio data or video data showing the state of communication between the member MOs in their rooms into meaningless audio data that makes it difficult to recognize what is being said, or background-free video data that makes it difficult to recognize the background, respectively. This makes it possible to protect the privacy of the member MOs and maintain the work efficiency of the member MTs while preventing the member MTs from feeling lonely or alienated.

[0045] The combination of the conversion target, who is the subject of sound or video conversion, and the transmission target, who is the destination of the converted sound data or video data, is not limited to the combination of the in-room member MO and the out-of-room member MT described above, but may be any of the following combinations: That is, the combination of the conversion target and the transmission target may be a person residing in a nursing home and their family, a person hospitalized in a hospital and their family, a person who is working away from home and their family, a person attending a welfare facility such as a nursery school and their family, or a person attending an educational facility such as a kindergarten or school and their family.

[0046] [Configuration of information processing device 1] The following describes the configuration of the information processing device 1. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 1. The information processing device 1 includes a device communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The control unit 13 includes an offline data acquisition unit 131, an online data acquisition unit 132, a word analysis unit 133, a relationship determination unit 134, an improvement method determination unit 135, a conversion unit 136, a setting reception unit 137, and a transmission control unit 138.

[0047] The device communication unit 11 is a communication interface for communicating with the manager terminal 2 and the employee terminal 3 via a communication network such as the Internet. The device communication unit 11 inputs the received offline communication data to the offline data acquisition unit 131. The device communication unit 11 inputs the received online communication data to the online data acquisition unit 132. The device communication unit 11 transmits data indicating the improvement method input from the improvement method determination unit 135 to the manager terminal 2 or the employee terminal 3.

[0048] The device communication unit 11 inputs the received sound data or video data to the conversion unit 136. The device communication unit 11 inputs information indicating the conversion settings received from the employee terminal 3 to the setting reception unit 137. The device communication unit 11 transmits the meaningless sound data, which is the converted sound data, or the background-free video data, which is the converted video data, input from the transmission control unit 138 to the employee terminal 3 of member MT, who is a member in the room.

[0049] The storage unit 12 is a storage medium including a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 12 stores a program executed by the control unit 13. The storage unit 12 stores an information processing program that causes the control unit 13 to function as, for example, an offline data acquisition unit 131, an online data acquisition unit 132, a word analysis unit 133, a relationship determination unit 134, an improvement method determination unit 135, a conversion unit 136, a setting acceptance unit 137, and a transmission control unit 138. The storage unit 12 stores, for example, communication data and word management data. The contents of these data will be described later.

[0050] The storage unit 12 may store score management data shown in Fig. 3. In the score management data, communication evaluation items are associated with scores used to determine a relationship index. The communication evaluation items are at least one of the content, amount, frequency, and direction of communication, and attributes of the other party.

[0051] If the content of the communication is a discussion or consultation about work ("Work" category), a low score is set. If the content of the communication is general chat about the weather, news, etc. ("General Chat" category), a medium score is set. If the content of the communication is chat about personal matters ("Private Chat" category), a high score is set. Note that, conversely to this setting, for example, if the content of the communication is chat about personal matters, a low score may be set, and if the content of the communication is a discussion or consultation about work, a high score may be set. The greater the amount or frequency of communication, the higher the score set.

[0052] A low score is set when the direction of communication is from the other person to you. A medium score is set when the direction of communication is from you to the other person and there is one other person. A high score is set when the direction of communication is from you to the other person and there are multiple other people. The more the attributes of the other person with whom you are communicating are those of someone with whom you have fewer opportunities to communicate, the higher the score is set.

[0053] The control unit 13 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 13 executes an information processing program stored in the storage unit 12, thereby functioning as an offline data acquisition unit 131, an online data acquisition unit 132, a word analysis unit 133, a relationship determination unit 134, an improvement method determination unit 135, a conversion unit 136, a setting acceptance unit 137, and a transmission control unit 138.

[0054] The offline data acquisition unit 131 acquires offline communication data indicating the state of communication in a room between members M belonging to the target organization to be analyzed. The offline communication data is, for example, sound data indicating the sound of an in-room member MO, who is a member M in a room. The sound data is, for example, data indicating the sound emitted by the member MO in the office, picked up by a microphone in the office. The offline data acquisition unit 131 receives the sound data transmitted by a transmitter connected to the microphone via the device communication unit 11.

[0055] The microphones in the office may be fixed microphones installed in predetermined locations in the office (for example, one for each department), pin microphones attached to the jackets or employee ID cards of each member MO, or portable built-in microphones built into mobile devices such as smartphones or PCs (Personal Computers) used by each member MO. Fixed microphones are, for example, tabletop microphones or microphones fixed to the wall or ceiling. When pin microphones or portable built-in microphones are used, one piece of sound data is associated with one member MO.

[0056] The offline communication data may be video data showing a video including a member MO in the office. The video data is, for example, data showing a video including the state of the member MO in the office, captured by a camera installed at a predetermined location in the office. The offline data acquisition unit 131 receives audio data transmitted by a transmitter connected to the camera via the device communication unit 11. One piece of video data is associated with multiple member MOs who belong to the department where the camera is installed.

[0057] The offline communication data may be location data indicating the physical location of each member MO within the office. The location data is, for example, data indicating the location from which a beacon transmitter carried by each member MO emits a signal, as determined by a beacon receiver installed in the office. The offline data acquisition unit 131 receives the location data transmitted by the beacon receiver via the device communication unit 11.

[0058] The online data acquisition unit 132 acquires online communication data indicating the status of communication via a network between members M belonging to the target organization to be analyzed. The online communication data is, for example, chat data indicating the content of chats between members M. The chat data may be data indicating communication on an online calendar shared by multiple members M. The online communication data may be call data indicating the content of calls between members M. The online data acquisition unit 132 receives chat data or call data sent by the employee terminal 3 used by member M via the device communication unit 11.

[0059] The offline data acquisition unit 131 and the online data acquisition unit 132 store the acquired communication data in the storage unit 12 in association with a member ID for identifying the member M. This allows the relationship determination unit 134 to determine a relationship index for each of the multiple members M, as will be described in detail later.

[0060] The word analysis unit 133, for example, analyzes the sound data, chat data, or call data stored in the memory unit 12 to determine, for each member M, high-frequency words whose frequency of use is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The word analysis unit 133 may determine, for each member M, favorable response words that receive a favorable response from member M. The favorable response words are, for example, words in which the loudness or intonation of member M's voice increases in the sound data, words included in sentences in which member M clicks the "Like" button in the chat data, words with a relatively high response rate from member M, or words that require member M to respond in a relatively short time. The loudness and intonation of member M's voice may be determined using existing software that predicts the emotions of the speaker, such as joy, anger, sadness, or happiness, based on their voice.

[0061] Then, the word analysis unit 133 stores the word management data shown in FIG. 4, in which member IDs, high-frequency words, and favorably-received words are associated, in the storage unit 12. As a result, the improvement method determination unit 135 can determine social events of interest to member M who tends to be isolated, as will be described in detail later. Also, as will be described in detail later, member MK, who is the manager, can suggest effective improvement methods for member M who tends to be isolated to strengthen relationships with other member M by referring to the word management data.

[0062] Furthermore, by referring to the word management data, member M can grasp the hot topics of conversation, chat, or phone calls in the room. This makes member M feel as if he or she is participating in the conversation, making him or her less likely to feel lonely or alienated. Note that negative words or words that can identify individuals may be excluded from the word management data referred to by member M.

[0063] The relationship determination unit 134 determines, for each member M, a relationship index that indicates the strength of the relationship between the member M and other members M, based on at least either the offline communication data or the online communication data. The relationship determination unit 134 determines the relationship index for each member M, for example, by referring to at least either the offline communication data or the online communication data that is stored in the memory unit 12 in association with the member ID.

[0064] To determine the relationship index, the relationship determination unit 134 may refer to the score management data shown in FIG. 3 and identify a score associated with at least one of the content, amount, frequency, direction, or attributes of the other party of communication indicated by at least one of the offline communication data and the online communication data. As an example, the offline communication data may be sound data indicating sounds made by a member MO in an office collected by a pin microphone or a built-in portable microphone. In this case, the relationship determination unit 134 may identify, for each member MO, a score associated with a content category identified by analyzing the sounds made by the member MO in a day using artificial intelligence (AI).

[0065] The relationship determination unit 134 may also specify, for each member MO, a score associated with the duration (volume) of sounds made by the member MO in a day. The relationship determination unit 134 may also specify, for each member MO, a score associated with the frequency with which the member MO makes sounds in a day. The relationship determination unit 134 may also specify, for each member MO, a score associated with the attributes of the member MO with whom the member MO is talking, whose name or nickname is included in the sounds made by the member MO in a day.

[0066] As another example, the offline communication data may be data showing a video captured by a camera showing the state of a member MO in an office. In this case, the relationship determination unit 134 identifies the multiple member MOs involved in a conversation by identifying the multiple member MOs included in the video based on facial image data of the multiple member MOs stored in advance in the storage unit 12. The relationship determination unit 134 determines a relationship index based on the identification result.

[0067] The relationship determination unit 134 may determine relationship indices for multiple member MOs belonging to a department in which a camera is installed, without identifying the member MO based on data representing the video. The relationship determination unit 134 may determine relationship indices for multiple member MOs belonging to a certain department, for example, by identifying the length of time (quantity) or frequency in a day that multiple member MOs belonging to the department face each other and are within a predetermined distance from each other. The relationship determination unit 134 may also identify the length of time (quantity) or frequency in a day that member MOs belonging to a certain department use body language or smile. Then, the relationship determination unit 134 may assign points associated with the identified length of time (quantity) or frequency to all member MOs belonging to the certain department.

[0068] As yet another example, the offline communication data may be location data indicating the physical locations of member MOs within an office. In this case, the relationship determination unit 134 may identify the length (quantity) or frequency of time in a day that member MOs are present within a predetermined distance from each other. The relationship determination unit 134 may then assign a score associated with the identified length (quantity) or frequency of time to member MOs present within the predetermined distance from each other. The location data may also be data indicating orientation along with physical location. In this case, the relationship determination unit 134 may increase the relationship index of multiple member MOs that face each other within a predetermined distance.

[0069] As yet another example, the online communication data may be chat data indicating the content of chats between members M. In this case, the relationship determination unit 134 may identify, for each member M, a score associated with a content category identified by analyzing the sentences entered by the member M in a day using artificial intelligence (AI).

[0070] Furthermore, the relationship determination unit 134 may specify, for each member M, a score associated with the number of characters (amount) of text that the member M inputs in a day to send to other members M. Furthermore, the relationship determination unit 134 may specify, for each member M, a score associated with the number (amount) of stamps or emoticons that the member M inputs in a day to send to other members M. Furthermore, the relationship determination unit 134 may specify, for each member M, a score associated with the frequency with which the member M presents topics in chat in a day.

[0071] Furthermore, the relationship determination unit 134 may specify, for each member M, a score associated with the direction of communication that the member M performed in a chat in one day. When the member M is mentioned by another member M in a chat, the relationship determination unit 134 may specify that the communication is from "the other member to me." When the member M mentions one other member M in a chat, the relationship determination unit 134 may specify that the communication is from "me to one other person." When the member M mentions multiple other members M in a chat (including a deemed mention in which, in a channel consisting of multiple members M, the member M is deemed to have mentioned all of the other members M when he or she has not made a mention), the relationship determination unit 134 may specify that the communication is from "me to multiple other people."

[0072] Furthermore, the relationship determination unit 134 may specify, for each member M, a score associated with the attributes of the member M who is a chat partner having a name or nickname included in a sentence input by the member M in a day. Furthermore, the relationship determination unit 134 may specify, for each member M, a score associated with the attributes of other members M mentioned by the member M in a chat.

[0073] In this way, the relationship determination unit 134 can specify the score per day for each combination of communication data type and evaluation item for each member M. Specifically, for April 1st and member A, the relationship determination unit 134 can specify the scores as follows: "content score based on audio data = 2 points, quantity score based on video data = 1 point, direction score based on chat data = 3 points...". The relationship determination unit 134 adds up the scores specified in this way for each combination of communication data type and evaluation item, thereby calculating a daily total value, which is the total score per day, for each member M.

[0074] The relationship determination unit 134 determines a relationship index for each of the members M based on the identified scores. The relationship determination unit 134 may, for example, use the calculated daily total value as the relationship index. The relationship determination unit 134 may refer to a table in which the numerical range of the daily total value is associated with the rank of the relationship index, and determine the rank of the relationship index associated with the numerical range to which the calculated daily total value belongs. The relationship determination unit 134 may determine the value calculated by substituting the calculated daily total value into a predetermined formula as the relationship index.

[0075] Furthermore, the relationship determination unit 134 may determine a relationship index for each combination of members M. This allows the relationship determination unit 134 to identify combinations of members M with relatively low relationship indexes as combinations of members M with whom there is little communication. As a result, a department leader in charge of each department can, for example, provide advice or propose a social event to increase communication between members M with whom there is little communication.

[0076] Furthermore, the relationship determination unit 134 may determine the relationship index for each combination of departments by adding up the relationship index for each combination of members M belonging to different departments as the relationship index for the combination of the different departments. As an example, if the relationship index for the combination of member M belonging to department A and member M belonging to department B is 3 points, the relationship determination unit 134 adds 3 points to the relationship index for the combination of department A and department B. By determining the relationship index for each combination of departments in this way, the relationship determination unit 134 can identify combinations of departments with low relationship indexes as combinations of departments that do not communicate much. As a result, the department leader of a department with a low relationship index can, for example, plan an exchange event to increase communication between departments.

[0077] Furthermore, the relationship determination unit 134 may calculate a company-wide total value, which is a daily total value for the entire company, by adding up the daily total values ​​calculated for each of the multiple members M. The relationship determination unit 134 may generate a graph showing the progress of the relationship index based on the company-wide total value and output the generated graph. This allows the company leader who oversees the entire company to grasp changes in communication within the company over time. As a result, for example, if the relationship index is on a downward trend, the company leader can modify internal systems or create new systems to increase interaction between employees.

[0078] Incidentally, a member M who sends few messages in communication and replies few or curtly is considered to have a strong tendency toward isolation, so it is important not to overlook such a member M. Therefore, the relationship determination unit 134 identifies a member M who has a strong tendency toward isolation, in which a message index indicating the frequency of messages on topics sent in communication is less than a threshold, and a reply index indicating the frequency, form, or content of replies to the topic, or the time required for the replies, satisfies a predetermined condition. For example, the relationship determination unit 134 identifies a member M who has input an initial sentence in a series of chats less than a threshold and whose reply rate to sentences addressed to him / her is less than a threshold.

[0079] The relationship determination unit 134 may identify a member M whose reply rate using a specific reply format (for example, a reply format using emoticons or stamps) is less than a threshold value, or whose reply rate using specific reply content (for example, reply content including negative words) is equal to or greater than a threshold value, instead of the reply rate. The relationship determination unit 134 may identify a member M whose average or cumulative value of the time taken from when a message addressed to him / her is input until a reply to the message is input is equal to or greater than a threshold value, instead of the reply rate.

[0080] Then, the relationship determination unit 134 determines a relationship index for the identified member M with an extremely strong tendency toward isolation that indicates a relatively weaker relationship compared to other members M. For example, for the identified member M with an extremely strong tendency toward isolation, the relationship determination unit 134 may determine, as the relationship index, a value obtained by subtracting a fixed score or a score that is set higher the lower the response rate from the calculated daily total value. If an extremely large value is set as the score to be subtracted, the relationship index for the member M with an extremely strong tendency toward isolation will be an extremely small value.

[0081] In this way, the relationship determination unit 134 determines the relationship index of a member M who has a very strong tendency to be isolated, who sends few messages in communication and sends few or curt replies, to a relatively low value. As a result, it becomes possible to propose an improvement method for the member M who has a very strong tendency to be isolated to strengthen his or her relationship with other members M before the member M actually feels lonely or alienated.

[0082] Even if a member M has a large amount or frequency of communication, if the member M only communicates with a limited number of other members M, the member M may feel lonely or alienated. Therefore, the relationship determination unit 134 determines a relationship index that indicates a stronger relationship for a member M with a larger number of other members M with whom the amount or frequency of communication is equal to or greater than a threshold. For example, for a member M whose number of communicators, which is the number of other members M with whom the amount or frequency of communication is equal to or greater than a threshold, is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the relationship determination unit 134 may determine, as the relationship index, a value obtained by adding a fixed score or a score that is set higher the more the number of communicators is, to the calculated daily total value.

[0083] Furthermore, the relationship determination unit 134 may generate a network indicating the communication relationships between the members M based on the relationship index for each combination of members M determined by the above-mentioned method. For members M with a high centrality index in this network, the relationship determination unit 134 may determine a value as the relationship index by adding a score according to the centrality index of that member M to the calculated total value for each day. If an extremely large value is set as the score to be added, the relationship index of the member M with high centrality will be an extremely large value. Examples of centrality indices that can be used include closeness centrality, betweenness centrality, Katz centrality, eigenvector centrality, degree centrality, and PageRank.

[0084] In this way, by making the relationship index of a member M who communicates with many other members M or a member M who is at the center of the network have a relatively high value, the relationship index of a member M who only communicates with a limited number of other members M will have a relatively low value. As a result, it becomes possible to propose improvement methods for the member M to strengthen his or her relationships with other members M before the member M actually feels lonely or alienated.

[0085] The improvement method determination unit 135 determines an improvement method for a member M whose relationship index is less than a predetermined threshold to strengthen his or her relationship with other members M. The improvement method determination unit 135 transmits, for example, score result data indicating a member M whose daily total value calculated by the relationship determination unit 134 is less than a predetermined threshold to the manager terminal 2 of member MK, who is the manager, via the device communication unit 11.

[0086] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of score result data. In the score result data, a member ID, a daily total value, and a below-threshold flag are associated. In the example of Fig. 5, a flag "o" indicating that the daily total value of memC and memD is below the threshold value (assumed to be 20) is attached to member M. This allows member MK to efficiently identify member M who has a low relationship index and tends to be isolated.

[0087] The improvement method determination unit 135 may determine to propose different improvement methods depending on the period during which the relationship index is continuously below a predetermined threshold. The improvement method determination unit 135 determines to subject a member M, whose period during which the relationship index is continuously below the predetermined threshold is less than a first threshold (for example, two weeks), to follow-up observation.

[0088] The improvement method determination unit 135 determines to suggest an action for member M to communicate with other members M to member M, for a period during which the relationship index is continuously below a predetermined threshold that is equal to or greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold (for example, four weeks) that is greater than the first threshold. The improvement method determination unit 135 determines, for example, whether or not there is a topic indicated in at least either the offline communication data or the online communication data to which member M, who has a somewhat strong tendency toward isolation, has responded favorably (a topic that he or she initiated, a topic for which he or she pressed the "like" button, etc.).

[0089] When the improvement method determination unit 135 determines that there is a topic to which a member M, whose relationship index is less than a predetermined threshold, responded favorably, the improvement method determination unit 135 determines to propose to the member M an action related to the topic to which the member M responded favorably. The improvement method determination unit 135 may, for example, refer to the word management data shown in FIG. 4 to identify favorable reaction words used by the member M, who is somewhat prone to isolation. Then, the improvement method determination unit 135 may transmit a notification to the employee terminal 3 used by the member M, urging the member M, who is somewhat prone to isolation, to post in chat his or her thoughts on a news article related to the identified favorable reaction words or on a sentence generated by the AI ​​to include the identified favorable reaction words.

[0090] The improvement method determination unit 135 may send a notification to the employee terminal 3 used by the member M in the department to which the member M who is somewhat prone to isolation belongs, encouraging the member M to participate in a social event (such as a sports event or a hobby event) related to the identified favorable response word. In this way, the improvement method determination unit 135 suggests to the member M who is somewhat prone to isolation an action related to a topic to which the member M who is somewhat prone to isolation showed a favorable response, so that the member M can efficiently fit into the organization through a topic that interests him or her.

[0091] On the other hand, if the improvement method determination unit 135 determines that there is no topic to which a member M, whose relationship index is less than the predetermined threshold, has responded favorably, it determines to propose a social event for the member M to strengthen his or her relationship with other members M. Social events are, for example, lunch meetings, coffee breaks, training camps, workshops, etc., held within the department to which the member M belongs. The improvement method determination unit 135 may send a notification to the employee terminal 3 used by the member M, urging the member M, who has a somewhat strong tendency to be isolated, to post in chat his or her thoughts on news articles or topics related to the work being performed by the member M.

[0092] In this way, even if there are no topics to which member M, who tends to be somewhat isolated, has responded favorably, the improvement method determination unit 135 can suggest topics related to social events or work to be performed, thereby creating an opportunity for member M to become accustomed to the organization.

[0093] The improvement method determination unit 135 decides to send a notification to the administrator terminal 2 used by the administrator MK of the target organization to which the member M belongs, indicating that there is a member M whose period of time during which the relationship index is continuously below the predetermined threshold is equal to or greater than the second threshold. The improvement method determination unit 135, for example, sends data indicating such a member M who has a strong tendency to be isolated and the department to which the member M belongs to the administrator terminal 2 used by the administrator MK. This allows the administrator MK to efficiently grasp the member M who has a strong tendency to be isolated and the department to which the member M belongs.

[0094] The improvement method determination unit 135 may refer to the word management data shown in Fig. 4 to identify the high frequency words and well-received words used by member M who has a strong tendency to be isolated. Then, the improvement method determination unit 135 may associate the name of member M who has a strong tendency to be isolated with the identified high frequency words and the identified well-received words, and transmit them to the administrator terminal 2 used by the administrator MK.

[0095] This allows the manager MK to focus on negative words (such as "apology" and "harsh") among the received high-frequency words and conduct interviews with the member M who tends to be isolated or the superior of the member M. The manager MK can also instruct the member M in the department to which the member M who tends to be isolated belongs to to hold a social event related to the received favorable response words.

[0096] So far, we have mainly explained the case where the relationship index of a specific member M in a certain department is low, but there are also cases where the relationship index is low on a department-by-department basis due to a lack of normal communication within the department. Therefore, the improvement method determination unit 135 decides to send a notification indicating a target organization among multiple target organizations that has a relatively high number or percentage of members M whose relationship index is less than a predetermined threshold to the administrator terminal 2 of the administrator MK of the target organization.

[0097] The improvement method determination unit 135, for example, calculates the number or proportion of members M who tend to be isolated and whose relationship index is less than a predetermined threshold for each of a plurality of departments, and calculates the average or median value across the plurality of departments of the calculated number or proportion of members M who tend to be isolated. A department in which the number or proportion of members M who tend to be isolated is greater than the average or median value is a department in which communication within the company tends not to be normal.

[0098] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of department data requiring intervention. In the department data requiring intervention, departments requiring intervention are associated with the number of isolated members, the isolation rate, and members M who tend to be isolated. A department requiring intervention is a department in which the number or rate of members M who tend to be isolated and whose relationship index is less than a predetermined threshold is greater than the average or median. The number of isolated members is the number of members M who tend to be isolated within the department. The isolation rate is the rate of members M who tend to be isolated within the department.

[0099] The improvement method determination unit 135 periodically transmits the intervention-requiring department data to the manager terminal 2 of the member MK, who is the manager, via the device communication unit 11. This allows the member MK to conduct an interview survey regarding the communication situation with the leader of the intervention-requiring department, or to propose an interaction event to help the member M, who tends to be isolated, strengthen his or her relationships with other members M.

[0100] The conversion unit 136 converts sound data representing the sound of a room member MO, who is a member M in the room, into meaningless sound data that makes it difficult to identify the content of the utterance represented by the sound data. The conversion unit 136 also converts video data including the room member MO into background-free video data that makes it difficult to identify the content of the background area represented by the video data or the appearance of the room member MO represented by the video data. Details of the processing performed by the conversion unit 136 will be described later.

[0101] The setting receiving unit 137 receives, from the employee terminal 3 of member M, a setting of the identification difficulty, which is the degree of difficulty in identifying the content of comments or appearance of the member MO in the room. The setting receiving unit 137 receives, for example, a setting to select either standard conversion or individual conversion, which respectively provide different levels of identification difficulty for the content of comments or appearance of member MO. Standard conversion is a process of converting at least either sound data or video data so that the identification difficulty becomes a default value. Individual conversion is a process of converting at least either sound data or video data so that the identification difficulty becomes an individual value different from the default value. Details of the process executed by the setting receiving unit 137 will be described later.

[0102] 7A and 7B are diagrams showing the relationship between the discrimination difficulty and the sound conversion method or the video conversion method. Fig. 7A is a diagram showing the relationship between the discrimination difficulty and the sound conversion method. Fig. 7B is a diagram showing the relationship between the discrimination difficulty and the video conversion method.

[0103] In the example shown in Figure 7(a), the sound conversion method corresponding to the highest level of discrimination difficulty, level 1, is, for example, a method that makes it impossible to identify the member MO who spoke and the content of the statement.The sound conversion method corresponding to level 2, for example, is a method that makes it impossible to identify the content of the statement while still being able to identify the member MO who spoke.Discrimination difficulty level 3 corresponds to the case where the sound data is not converted.

[0104] In the example shown in FIG. 7(b), the image conversion method corresponding to identification difficulty level 1, which has the highest identification difficulty level, is, for example, a method that makes it impossible to identify the member MO and the background content in the image. The image conversion method corresponding to identification difficulty level 2 is, for example, a method that makes it impossible to identify the background content in the image while still allowing the member MO in the image to be identified. Identification difficulty level 3 corresponds to the case where the image data is not converted. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the identification difficulty level is divided into three levels, but the identification difficulty level may be divided into more levels.

[0105] The transmission control unit 138 transmits the meaningless sound data created by converting the sound data by the conversion unit 136 or the background-free video data created by converting the video data by the conversion unit 136 to the employee terminal 3 of the outside member MT. Details of the processing executed by the transmission control unit 138 will be described later.

[0106] [Process flow for determining improvement methods] The flow of processing related to the determination of an improvement method executed by the information processing device 1 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing related to the determination of an improvement method. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of processing executed at a predetermined timing (for example, every morning) to notify the manager of the organizational status. The processing shown in FIG. 8 may be executed when a request to check the organizational status is received from the manager terminal 2, or may be executed repeatedly at all times.

[0107] The relationship determination unit 134 calculates the daily total value of the points used to determine the relationship index for each member M based on the communication data, and determines the calculated daily total value as the relationship index for each member M (S1).

[0108] Next, the improvement method determination unit 135 determines whether or not all of the daily total values ​​for a certain member M in a predetermined period (for example, four weeks) are equal to or greater than the threshold value (S2). If the improvement method determination unit 135 determines that all of the daily total values ​​for a certain member M in a predetermined period are equal to or greater than the threshold value (S2: YES), the improvement method determination unit 135 determines that the member M is to be subject to follow-up observation (S3).

[0109] On the other hand, if the improvement method determination unit 135 determines that, for a certain member M, not all of the daily total values ​​are equal to or greater than the threshold value during the predetermined period (i.e., there is at least one daily total value less than the threshold value during the predetermined period) (S2: NO), the improvement method determination unit 135 performs the next process of S4. That is, the improvement method determination unit 135 determines whether the continuous low value period during which the daily total value is continuously less than the threshold value is shorter than a first threshold value (e.g., two weeks) (S4). If the improvement method determination unit 135 determines that the continuous low value period for a certain member M is shorter than the first threshold value (S4: YES), the improvement method determination unit 135 determines that the member M is to be subject to follow-up observation (S3).

[0110] On the other hand, when the improvement method determination unit 135 determines that the continuous low value period for a certain member M is equal to or greater than the first threshold (S4: NO), it determines whether the continuous low value period is less than a second threshold (for example, 4 weeks) that is greater than the first threshold (S5).When the improvement method determination unit 135 determines that the continuous low value period for a certain member M is less than the second threshold (S5: YES), it determines to propose a social event to the member M who has a somewhat strong tendency toward isolation (S6).

[0111] On the other hand, if the improvement method determination unit 135 determines that the continuous low value period for a certain member M is equal to or greater than the second threshold (S5: NO), it notifies the administrator with an alert indicating that the member M has a strong tendency toward isolation (S7).

[0112] [Conversion of audio or video data] When the offline communication data is sound data indicating the sound of a member MO in the room, the conversion unit 136 converts the sound data into meaningless sound data that can identify the person who uttered the voice indicated by the sound data and makes the content of the utterance indicated by the sound data less identifiable than the sound data itself.

[0113] The conversion unit 136 converts the sound data into meaningless sound data by, for example, shifting the pitch of the sound represented by the sound data by an arbitrary multiple n (n is an integer). Specifically, the conversion unit 136 converts the frequency component f of the sound represented by the sound data into meaningless sound data by Y(f,n)=f*1.0595 n The meaningless sound data is created by converting it using the formula: If n is positive, the sound represented by the meaningless sound data will be higher pitched than the sound represented by the sound data, and if n is a negative integer, the sound represented by the meaningless sound data will be lower pitched than the sound represented by the sound data. The larger n is, the greater the difficulty of discrimination.

[0114] For example, the conversion unit 136 may convert the sound data into text data and then synthesize the sound so that the vowels included in the text data are longer than the vowels included in the sound data, thereby making the content of the speech more difficult to identify. In this case, the difficulty of identification changes depending on the length of the vowels.

[0115] The conversion unit 136 may replace vowels according to a certain rule. For example, the conversion unit 136 replaces "a" with "i" and "e" with "o." In this case, the difficulty of identification changes depending on the frequency (probability) of replacing vowels.

[0116] The conversion unit 136 may increase the playback speed of the sound indicated by the sound data. In this case, the higher the playback speed, the higher the difficulty of identification. For example, the conversion unit 136 converts the sound into a triple-speed sound, and then places the triple-speed sound in three locations to create meaningless sound data of the same length as the sound data.

[0117] In addition to the above processing, the conversion unit 136 may change the sound quality using a known voice changer. If the member MT hears only the nonsense sound, the member MT may feel uncomfortable. Therefore, the conversion unit 136 may superimpose white noise or data representing the sound of typing or the sound of a door opening and closing on the nonsense sound data.

[0118] By performing their work while hearing sounds based on this meaningless sound data, member MTs can improve their work efficiency while preventing a decline in their sense of belonging to the organization and solidarity, compared to when they perform their work while hearing sounds that allow them to identify the content of speech. The results of an experiment verifying this effect will be described later.

[0119] Incidentally, if the member MO who uttered the voice included in the sound data has a strong relationship with the member MT, such as a member MO in the same department as the member MT, it is assumed that it would be beneficial for the member MT if the member MT could understand what was being discussed. Therefore, the conversion unit 136 may convert the sound data into meaningless sound data in which the difficulty of identifying the content of the member MO's utterance indicated by the sound data is changed depending on the strength of the relationship between the member MO in the room and the member MT outside the room. For example, the conversion unit 136 may lower the difficulty of identifying the content of the utterance as the relationship becomes stronger, and increase the difficulty as the relationship becomes weaker.

[0120] The conversion unit 136 converts the sound data into meaningless sound data using a sound conversion method associated with the identification difficulty corresponding to the relationship in sound conversion method data (for example, the data shown in Figure 7(a)) stored in the memory unit 12, in which the identification difficulty and the sound conversion method are associated.

[0121] As an example, the conversion unit 136 makes it difficult to understand the meaning of words of member MOs in the same department as the member MT without changing the quality of their voices, and changes the quality of the voices of member MOs in a different department from the member MT, making the meaning of words completely unintelligible. This allows the member MTs to work in a similar environment to working in their own offices, making it possible to achieve both a sense of belonging to the organization and work efficiency.

[0122] The inventors also discovered that the ease of recognizing the content of utterances affects the concentration of the member MT. Therefore, the conversion unit 136 may convert the sound data into meaningless sound data that changes the difficulty of identifying the content of the utterances of the member MO in the room, as indicated by the sound data, depending on the level of concentration of the member MT outside the room. The level of concentration of the member MT is determined, for example, by the employee terminal 3 based on the state of key operations by the member MT, or the facial expression, line of sight, or posture of the member MT captured by a camera included in the employee terminal 3. The employee terminal 3 notifies the information processing device 1 of the determined level of concentration.

[0123] The conversion unit 136 determines the difficulty of identifying the content of the member MO's comments based on the concentration level notified from the employee terminal 3. For example, the conversion unit 136 makes it easier to identify the content of the member MO's comments the lower the concentration level of the member MT, thereby increasing the sense of solidarity with other member MOs, and makes it harder to identify the content of the member MO's comments the higher the concentration level, thereby reducing distraction. This makes it possible to increase the concentration level of a member MT with a low concentration level by increasing the sense of solidarity with other member MOs of a member MT with a low concentration level while maintaining the concentration level of the member MT with a high concentration level.

[0124] When the offline communication data is video data showing an image including a member MO in a living room, the conversion unit 136 converts the background area in the video data other than the area of ​​the member MO's image into background-free video data in a manner that makes the background content difficult to identify. In other words, the conversion unit 136 converts the video data into background-free video data in which the background content is more difficult to identify than the video data itself. The manner in which the background content is difficult to identify may be a manner in which the image of the background area is blurred, or a manner in which the background area is replaced with a single color (e.g., black or gray).

[0125] As with audio data, the conversion unit 136 may convert the video data into background-free video data that varies the difficulty of identifying the content of the background shown in the video data depending on the member MT's level of concentration on the work. For example, the conversion unit 136 makes the content of the background more difficult to identify the lower the level of concentration. Specifically, when the member MT's level of concentration is high, the conversion unit 136 creates background-free video data in which objects in the background can be recognized, and when the member MT's level of concentration is high, the conversion unit 136 creates background-free video data (e.g., single-color video data) in which objects in the background cannot be recognized.

[0126] The conversion unit 136 converts the video data into background-free sound data using a video data conversion method associated with the discrimination difficulty corresponding to the concentration level in video conversion method data (for example, the data shown in Figure 7(b)) stored in the memory unit 12, in which the discrimination difficulty is associated with the video data conversion method.

[0127] The conversion unit 136 may use an area other than the image area of ​​the member MO of the department to which the member MT belongs as a background area, and change the ease of recognition of the movement of people in the background area depending on the member MT's level of concentration on the work. Specifically, the conversion unit 136 creates background-free video data that makes it possible to grasp the movement of people in the background area when the member MT's level of concentration is high, and creates background-free video data (e.g., single-color video data) that makes it impossible to grasp the movement of people in the background area when the member MT's level of concentration is low. This allows the member MT, whose level of concentration is low, to not be affected by the movement of people in the background, enabling the member MT to increase his or her concentration.

[0128] Incidentally, the level of concentration may be reduced not only by objects or people in the background but also by images of member MOs in the same department as the member MT. Therefore, the conversion unit 136 may convert the video data into background-free video data that changes the difficulty of identifying the appearance of the member MO in the room shown in the video data, depending on the level of concentration of the member MT on work outside the room. For example, when the level of concentration is high, the conversion unit 136 creates background-free video data in a manner that makes it possible to identify the member MO, and when the level of concentration is low, the conversion unit 136 creates background-free video data that blurs the member MO so that he or she cannot be identified.

[0129] The conversion unit 136 may convert the video data into background-free video data in which the difficulty of identifying the appearance of the member MO shown in the video data is changed depending on the strength of the relationship between the member MO in the room and the member MT outside the room. When the member MO shown in the video data is a member MO who has a strong relationship with the member MT, such as a member MO in the same department as the member MT, the conversion unit 136 creates background-free video data in which the member MO can be identified. On the other hand, when the member MO shown in the video data is a member MO who has a weak relationship with the member MT, such as a member MO in a different department from the member MT, the conversion unit 136 creates background-free video data in which the member MO is blurred to the extent that it is impossible to identify them. This allows the member MT to improve their work efficiency while feeling a sense of solidarity with people with whom they have strong relationships.

[0130] [Setting the difficulty of identifying audio or video data] Since it is expected that the difficulty of identifying sounds or images that can reduce feelings of loneliness or alienation and improve work efficiency will vary depending on the member MT, the desired meaningless sound data or background-free video data will differ for each member MT. It is also expected that the desired meaningless sound data or background-free video data will differ even for the same member MT depending on factors such as the time of day or physical condition. Therefore, the conversion unit 136 may create meaningless sound data or background-free video data based on the identification difficulty setting received from the member MT by the setting receiving unit 137. The conversion unit 136 may also receive a setting for the content of the conversion of the sound data or video data as the identification difficulty setting.

[0131] When the setting receiving unit 137 receives from a member MT an individual conversion setting for converting sound data into meaningless sound data and video data into background-free video data so that the identification difficulty of the member MO's utterance content or appearance becomes an individual value different from a default value, the setting receiving unit 137 notifies the conversion unit 136 and the transmission control unit 138 that the individual conversion has been received, along with information identifying the member MT. The individual value corresponding to the member MT is set in advance, for example, by the member MT, and the memory unit 12 stores the individual value in association with the member MT.

[0132] The setting reception unit 137 may receive the setting of the individual value at the time when the setting of the individual conversion is received. The setting reception unit 137 associates the individual value with the member MT for which the individual value is set, and stores the set individual value in the storage unit 12. The setting reception unit 137 may also store the individual value in the storage unit 12 in association with the member MT and the day of the week or the time period.

[0133] The setting receiving unit 137 may receive settings for the sound individual values ​​of the discrimination difficulty of the meaningless sound data and the video individual values ​​of the discrimination difficulty of the background-free video data. In this case, the setting receiving unit 137 stores the sound individual values ​​and the video individual values ​​in the storage unit 12 in association with the member MT.

[0134] Based on the settings received by the setting receiving unit 137 from the member MT, the conversion unit 136 performs either a standard conversion that converts at least one of the sound data or the video data so that the difficulty of identifying the content of the remarks or the appearance of the member MO in the room becomes a default value, or an individual conversion that converts at least one of the sound data or the video data so that the difficulty of identification becomes an individual value different from the default value.

[0135] When the setting receiving unit 137 receives settings for individual conversion from multiple member MTs, the conversion unit 136 references the individual values ​​corresponding to each member MT stored in the storage unit 12, creates meaningless sound data using the sound data conversion method corresponding to each individual value, and creates background-free video data using the video data conversion method corresponding to each individual value. The conversion unit 136 may create meaningless sound data or background-free video data with a discrimination difficulty level corresponding to the individual values ​​stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the day of the week or the time period.

[0136] The transmission control unit 138 transmits at least one of the meaningless sound data or background-free video data with a discrimination difficulty level corresponding to the individual value set by the conversion unit 136 to the employee terminal 3 of the member MT for which the individual value used to create the meaningless sound data or background-free video data has been set. In this way, the member MT can set the content of the conversion, which makes it easier to create a work environment in which the member MT is less likely to feel lonely or alienated and which improves work efficiency.

[0137] Incidentally, because the ease of identifying the content of speech or appearance of a member MO in a room is related to ensuring privacy or confidentiality, it is desirable that the member MO or member MK in a room, who is the administrator of the organization, can also set it. Therefore, the setting receiving unit 137 may receive from the member MO or member MK in a room a setting for individual conversion that converts sound data or video data into meaningless sound data or background-free data so that the difficulty of identifying the content of speech or appearance of the member MO becomes an individual value different from the default value.

[0138] In this case, the setting reception unit 137 notifies the conversion unit 136 and the transmission control unit 138 that the individual conversion has been received, along with information identifying the member MO or member MK. The individual value corresponding to the member MO or member MK is set in advance by, for example, the member MO or member MK, and the storage unit 12 stores the individual value in association with the member MO or member MK.

[0139] The setting receiving unit 137 may receive the setting of the individual value at the time when the setting of the individual conversion is received. The setting receiving unit 137 associates the individual value with the member MO or member MK for which the individual value is set, and stores the set individual value in the storage unit 12. The setting receiving unit 137 may also store the individual value in the storage unit 12 in association with the member MO or member MK and the day of the week or the time period.

[0140] The setting receiving unit 137 may receive from the member MO or member MK the setting of a different individual value for each of a plurality of member MTs, which allows the member MO or member MK to set an identification difficulty level appropriate for each member MT, taking into consideration the authority or character of the member MT.

[0141] The conversion unit 136 performs either a standard conversion that converts at least either the audio data or the video data so that the identification difficulty of the member MO's utterance content or appearance becomes a default value, or an individual conversion that converts at least either the audio data or the video data so that the identification difficulty becomes an individual value different from the default value, based on the setting content received from the member MO by the setting reception unit 137. The conversion unit 136 converts audio data generated by a microphone installed in the department to which the member MO belongs, or video data generated by a camera installed in the department to which the member MO belongs, based on the setting content received from the member MO.

[0142] Incidentally, if the member MT and the member MO or member MK can set the identification difficulty level, there is a possibility that the identification difficulty level set by the member MT and the identification difficulty level set by the member MO or member MK will differ. Therefore, the setting receiving unit 137 may receive, via the administrator terminal 2, from the member MK, who is the administrator of the organization, a setting regarding which of the identification difficulty levels set by the member MT and the member MO or member MK should be given priority.

[0143] In this case, the conversion unit 136 creates meaningless sound data or background-free video data based on the identification difficulty with the highest priority. If the transmission control unit 138 does not create meaningless sound data or background-free video data based on the individual value set by the member MT, the transmission control unit 138 may transmit information to the employee terminal 3 of the member MT indicating that meaningless sound data or background-free video data has been created based on the setting by the member MO or member MK.

[0144] [Confirm the effectiveness of meaningless sound data or background-free video data] (Experiment 1) Experiment to confirm the effectiveness of meaningless sound data The following three types of sound data were created, and the subjects were asked to complete a summary of a research paper for 40 minutes while listening to one of the three types of sound. Before and after the task, the subjects were asked to evaluate their sense of belonging, sense of community, and work efficiency on a 7-point Likert scale. Completely meaningless sound: Sound in which the speaker and what is being said cannot be identified at all Semi-meaningless sounds: sounds in which the speaker and what is being said can be identified to some extent Unconverted sound: Sound in which the speaker and the content of speech can be completely identified

[0145] Figure 9 shows the difference scores of the evaluation results before and after working while listening to sounds. The horizontal axis in Figure 9 shows the evaluation items, and the vertical axis shows the difference scores. In Figure 9, completely meaningless sounds are shown with dots, semi-meaningless sounds are shown with diagonal lines, and unconverted sounds are shown in white.

[0146] When subjects worked while hearing unconverted sounds, their sense of belonging was higher than when other sounds were heard, but their work efficiency was lower. When completely meaningless or semi-meaningless sounds were heard, work efficiency increased, and the sense of belonging and solidarity were almost the same as when unconverted sounds were heard. From these experimental results, it was confirmed that by having the conversion unit 136 convert sound data into meaningless sound data and having the member MTs listen to sounds based on the meaningless sound data, it is possible to prevent the member MTs from feeling lonely or alienated while improving their work efficiency.

[0147] (Experiment 2) Experiment to confirm the effectiveness of background-free video data The following three types of video data were created, and subjects were asked to create a summary of a paper for 40 minutes while viewing one of the three types of video. Figure 10 shows examples of each type of video data. Blank video: A black video in which individuals and background content cannot be identified (Fig. 10(a)). Background-free image: Images in which individuals can be identified but the background content cannot (Fig. 10(b)). Untransformed image: Image in which individuals and background content can be identified (Fig. 10(c)).

[0148] As with the experiment to confirm the effectiveness of meaningless sound data, the subjects were asked to evaluate their own sense of belonging, sense of solidarity, and work efficiency on a 7-point Likert scale before and after performing the task.

[0149] Figure 11 shows the difference scores between the evaluation results before and after working while watching the video. The horizontal axis in Figure 11 represents the evaluation items, and the vertical axis represents the difference scores. In Figure 11, blank video is shown with dots, background-free video is shown with diagonal lines, and unconverted video is shown in white.

[0150] According to Figure 11, when viewing a blank image, task efficiency is moderate, but the sense of belonging and sense of solidarity are low. On the other hand, when viewing unconverted images, the sense of belonging is high and the sense of solidarity is moderate, but task efficiency is low. In contrast, when viewing images with no background, the sense of solidarity and task efficiency are highest. It is thought that when viewing images with no background, the presence of others is emphasized, which makes it easier to increase the sense of solidarity.

[0151] Although not shown in the figure, the evaluation results also showed that a sense of security increases when images of familiar people are included in the video, as in the case of background-free video and unconverted video. From these results, it was confirmed that by using the conversion unit 136 to convert video data into background-free video data and making the video based on the background-free video data visible to the member MT, it is possible to prevent the member MT from feeling lonely or alienated while improving work efficiency.

[0152] [Effects of information processing device 1] As described above, the information processing device 1 can determine an improvement method for a member M who tends to be isolated and whose relationship index determined based on communication data indicating the state of communication between members M is less than a predetermined threshold to strengthen their relationship with other members M. This allows the member M who tends to be isolated to strengthen their relationship with other members M before they start to feel lonely or alienated. As a result, employees are less likely to feel lonely or alienated, which is expected to have effects such as improving the work environment for employees and reducing the turnover rate.

[0153] Furthermore, according to the information processing device 1, sound data collected in a room can be processed to identify the person who made the sound, and the member MT can work while listening to meaningless sound data that makes the content of the speech more difficult to identify compared to the original sound data, thereby maintaining the member MT's work efficiency while making it less likely that the member MT will feel lonely or alienated.

[0154] In addition, according to the information processing device 1, the video data taken in the living room is processed to allow the member MT to work while viewing background-free video data in which it is difficult to identify the content of the background area other than the member MO contained in the video, thereby maintaining the member MT's work efficiency while making it less likely that the member MT will feel lonely or alienated.

[0155] The present invention has been described above using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by functionally or physically distributing or integrating in any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combination also have the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0156] 1. Information processing equipment 11 Device communication unit 12 Storage section 13 Control Unit 131 Offline Data Acquisition Unit 132 Online Data Acquisition Unit 133 Word Analysis Section 134 Relationship Determination Unit 135 Improvement method determination department 136 Conversion Unit 137 Settings Reception Section 138 Transmission control section 2. Administrator terminal 3 Employee terminals S Information Processing System

Claims

1. a relationship determination unit that determines, for each of the members, a relationship index that indicates the strength of the relationship between the members and other members, based on at least one of offline communication data that indicates the state of communication between members belonging to the target organization to be analyzed in their rooms or online communication data that indicates the state of communication between the members via a network; an improvement method determination unit that determines an improvement method for the member whose relationship index is less than a predetermined threshold to strengthen the relationship with other members; An information processing device having the above.

2. a storage unit for storing score management data in which at least one of the content, amount, frequency, direction of communication, or attributes of the other party is associated with a score used to determine the relationship index; the relationship determination unit determines the relationship index for each of the members based on a score associated with at least one of the content, amount, frequency, and direction of communication indicated by at least one of the offline communication data and the online communication data, or attributes of the other party; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The relationship determination unit determines the relationship index indicating a stronger relationship for the member with a larger number of other members with whom the amount or frequency of communication is equal to or greater than a threshold. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. The relationship determination unit determines the relationship index indicating a relatively weaker relationship compared to other members for a member whose transmission index, which indicates the frequency of topics transmitted in communication, is less than a threshold value and whose reply index, which indicates the frequency, form, or content of replies to the topic, or the time required for the replies, satisfies a predetermined condition. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

5. the improvement method determination unit determines to suggest to a member whose period of time during which the relationship index is continuously less than the predetermined threshold is equal to or greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold greater than the first threshold an action for the member to communicate with other members, and determines to send a notification to a terminal used by an administrator of the target organization to which the member belongs, indicating the existence of a member whose period of time during which the relationship index is continuously less than the predetermined threshold is equal to or greater than the second threshold. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

6. the improvement method determination unit determines to propose to the member an action related to a topic to which the member, whose relationship index is less than the predetermined threshold, has responded favorably, among topics indicated by at least one of the offline communication data and the online communication data; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

7. the improvement method determination unit determines to send a notification indicating a target organization, among the plurality of target organizations, in which the number or ratio of members whose relationship index is less than the predetermined threshold is relatively high, to a terminal of an administrator of the target organization; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

8. a conversion unit that converts the offline communication data into meaningless sound data in a manner that makes it difficult to identify the person who uttered the voice represented by the sound data and makes the content of the speech represented by the sound data less identifiable than the sound data, when the offline communication data is sound data representing the sounds of the room members who are the members in the room; a transmission control unit that transmits the meaningless sound data to a terminal used by an outside member who is not in the room; further comprising The information processing device according to claim 1 .

9. The conversion unit converts the sound data into the meaningless sound data in which the degree of difficulty in identifying the content of the speech of the in-room member indicated by the sound data is changed according to the strength of the relationship between the in-room member and the out-of-room member. The information processing device according to claim 8 .

10. The conversion unit converts the sound data into the nonsense sound data in which the degree of difficulty in identifying the content of the speech of the in-room member indicated by the sound data is changed according to the degree of concentration on the work of the outside-room member. The information processing device according to claim 8 .

11. a conversion unit that converts the offline communication data into background-free video data in which a background area showing a background in the video data is made difficult to identify, when the offline communication data is video data showing a video including the room members who are the members in the room; and a transmission control unit that transmits the background-free video data to a terminal used by an outside-room member who is not in the room; further comprising The information processing device according to claim 1 .

12. the conversion unit converts the video data into the background-free video data in which the degree of difficulty in identifying the content of the background shown in the video data is changed according to the degree of concentration on the work of the outside member. The information processing device according to claim 11.

13. the conversion unit converts the video data into the background-free video data in which the degree of difficulty in distinguishing the appearance of the indoor member shown in the video data is changed according to the strength of the relationship between the indoor member and the outdoor member. The information processing device according to claim 11.

14. the conversion unit converts the video data into the background-free video data in which the degree of difficulty in identifying the appearance of the indoor member shown in the video data is changed according to the degree of concentration on the work of the outdoor member. The information processing device according to claim 11.

15. a setting receiving unit that receives, from the terminal of the outside member, an operation to select either a standard conversion that converts the sound data or the video data into the meaningless sound data or the background-removed data so that the difficulty of distinguishing the content of speech or the appearance of the in-room member becomes a default value, or an individual conversion that converts the sound data or the video data into the meaningless sound data or the background-removed data so that the difficulty of distinguishing the content of speech or the appearance of the in-room member becomes an individual value different from the default value; a transmission control unit that transmits the meaningless sound data or the background-free video data generated based on the default value to the terminal for which the standard conversion has been selected, and transmits the meaningless sound data or the background-free video data generated based on the individual value to the terminal for which the individual conversion has been selected; further comprising The information processing device according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

16. a setting receiving unit that receives from the device of the room member an operation to select either a standard conversion that converts the sound data or the video data into the meaningless sound data or the background-free data so that the difficulty of identifying the content of the utterances or the appearance of the room member becomes a preset value, or an individual conversion that converts the sound data or the video data into the meaningless sound data or the background-free data so that the difficulty of identifying the content of the utterances or the appearance of the room member becomes an individual value different from the preset value; a transmission control unit that, when the setting reception unit receives an operation to select the standard conversion, transmits the meaningless sound data or the background-free video data generated based on the default value to the terminal of the non-residential member, and, when the setting reception unit receives an operation to select the individual conversion, transmits the meaningless sound data or the background-free video data generated based on the individual value to the terminal of the non-residential member; further comprising The information processing device according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

17. The computer executes a relationship determination step of determining, for each of the members, a relationship index indicating the strength of the relationship between the members and other members based on at least either offline communication data indicating the state of communication between members belonging to the target organization to be analyzed in their rooms or online communication data indicating the state of communication between the members via a network; an improvement method determination step of determining an improvement method for the member whose relationship index is less than a predetermined threshold to strengthen the relationship with other members; An information processing method comprising:

18. The processor of the information processing device is a relationship determination unit that determines, for each of the members, a relationship index that indicates the strength of the relationship between the members and other members, based on at least one of offline communication data that indicates the state of communication between members belonging to the target organization to be analyzed in their rooms or online communication data that indicates the state of communication between the members via a network; an improvement method determination unit that determines an improvement method for the member whose relationship index is less than a predetermined threshold to strengthen the relationship with other members; A program to function as a

19. An information processing device and an information terminal capable of communicating with the information processing device, The information processing device includes: a relationship determination unit that determines, for each of the members, a relationship index that indicates the strength of the relationship between the members and other members, based on at least one of offline communication data that indicates the state of communication between members belonging to the target organization to be analyzed in their rooms or online communication data that indicates the state of communication between the members via a network; a device communication unit that transmits a notification indicating that there is a member whose relationship index is less than a predetermined threshold to the information terminal of the administrator of the target organization to which the member belongs; and The information terminal receives the notification. Information processing system.

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