Communication measurement system, communication measurement method, and program

Abstract

The problem of the present disclosure is to improve the accuracy of measuring the amount of online communication between workers. Provided is a communication measurement system (1) comprising: a person selection unit (211); a meeting selection unit (212); and a calculation unit (213). The person selection unit (211) selects a first worker and a second worker on the basis of relationship information regarding the relationship between a worker and another worker. The meeting selection unit (212) selects an online meeting in which the first worker and the second worker both participated, on the basis of the usage history of at least one terminal (PC3) of the first worker and the second worker. The calculation unit (213) calculates the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker in the online meeting selected by the meeting selection unit (212) on the basis of the usage history of the at least one terminal (PC3) of the first worker and the second worker.

Description

Communication measurement system, communication measurement method and program

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a communication measurement system, a communication measurement method, and a program, and more particularly to a communication measurement system, a communication measurement method, and a program related to the amount of communication between workers.

[0002] Patent Literature 1 discloses a system for analyzing communication between users. The system disclosed in Patent Literature 1 detects face-to-face interactions between users at each site in a conference held at multiple sites.

[0003] International Publication No. 2011 / 155260

[0004] In recent years, workers have increasingly been communicating with each other online, and there is a need to accurately grasp the amount of communication between workers online.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above reasons, and aims to provide a communication measurement system, a communication measurement method, and a program that can improve the accuracy of measuring the amount of communication between workers online.

[0006] A communication measurement system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a person selection unit, a conference selection unit, and a calculation unit. The person selection unit selects a first worker and a second worker based on relationship information regarding a relationship between a worker and another worker. The conference selection unit selects online conferences in which both the first worker and the second worker participated based on the usage history of at least one of a terminal used by the first worker and a terminal used by the second worker. The calculation unit calculates the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker in the online conferences selected by the conference selection unit based on the usage history of at least one of the terminals.

[0007] A communication measurement method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is executed by a computer system. The communication measurement method includes a person selection step, a conference selection step, and a calculation step. In the person selection step, a first worker and a second worker are selected based on relationship information regarding a relationship between a worker and another worker. In the conference selection step, an online conference in which both the first worker and the second worker participated is selected based on the usage history of at least one of a terminal used by the first worker and a terminal used by the second worker. In the calculation step, the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker in the online conference selected in the conference selection step is calculated based on the usage history of at least one of the terminals.

[0008] A program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing one or more processors to execute the communication measurement method.

[0009] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a communication measurement system according to one embodiment. Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the input level of a microphone provided in the communication measurement system. Fig. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the concept of calculation processing by the communication measurement system. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication measurement system. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the calculation processing of the communication measurement system.

[0010] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments described below, common elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions of the common elements may be omitted. The following embodiment is merely one of various embodiments of the present disclosure. Various modifications of the embodiment (including modifications) are possible depending on the design, etc., as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved. Furthermore, the embodiments (including modifications) may be realized in appropriate combinations.

[0011] (Embodiment) (1) Overview First, an overview of a communication measurement system 1, a communication measurement method, and a program according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The communication measurement system 1 of this embodiment is used to estimate worker engagement.

[0012] "Engagement" in this disclosure may include "work engagement" and "employee engagement." Engagement is defined, for example, in the following two respects: (1) commitment to an organization, specifically, affective commitment (emotional attachment to the organization) and continuance commitment (desire to stay with the organization); and (2) extra-role behavior (any behavior that enables the organization to function effectively).

[0013] In the present disclosure, the term "worker" may include anyone who works in general. In the present disclosure, the term "worker" may include not only those who receive compensation in exchange for their work, but also those who work without compensation. In this embodiment, as a representative example, a case will be described in which the engagement of a person who receives compensation in exchange for their work is estimated. Therefore, the communication measurement system 1 is used in, for example, a company, a government office, or an organization. Below, as a representative example, a case in which the communication measurement system 1 is used in a company will be described. In other words, the workplace of the worker in this embodiment is an office.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the communication measurement system 1 of this embodiment includes a person selection unit 211, a meeting selection unit 212, and a calculation unit 213.

[0015] The worker selection unit 211 selects a first worker and a second worker based on relationship information regarding the relationship between the worker and another worker.

[0016] The conference selection unit 212 selects an online conference in which both the first worker and the second worker participated based on the usage history of at least one of the usage history of the PC (personal computer) 3 (terminal) used by the first worker and the usage history of the PC 3 (terminal) used by the second worker.

[0017] Based on the usage history of at least one of the PC3 used by the first worker and the PC3 used by the second worker, the calculation unit 213 calculates the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker in the online conference selected by the conference selection unit 212.

[0018] In this disclosure, an "online conference" is a conference between two or more people using at least one of voice (calls) and text (chat) over a network such as the Internet. Furthermore, in this disclosure, "conference" does not only refer to a conference in the strict sense, but may also include, for example, simple consultations, questions, etc. between workers. Note that an "online conference" may also be called, for example, a "web conference," a "television conference," or a "video conference." Note that in the following description, an online conference may simply be called a "conference."

[0019] According to the communication measurement system 1 of this embodiment, the amount of communication between workers in online conferences is calculated based on the usage history of the PC 3 used by the worker, thereby improving the accuracy of measuring the amount of communication.

[0020] Furthermore, functions similar to those of the communication measurement system 1 can be embodied in a communication measurement method. The communication measurement method of this embodiment is executed by a computer system (communication measurement system 1). The communication measurement method includes a person selection step, a conference selection step, and a calculation step. In the person selection step, a first worker and a second worker are selected based on relationship information regarding the relationship between the worker and another worker. In the conference selection step, an online conference in which both the first worker and the second worker participated is selected based on at least one of the usage history of the PC3 (terminal) used by the first worker and the usage history of the PC3 (terminal) used by the second worker. In the calculation step, the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker in the online conference selected in the conference selection step is calculated based on at least one of the usage history of the PC3 used by the first worker and the usage history of the PC3 used by the second worker.

[0021] The communication measurement method can also be embodied as a program. The program of this embodiment is a program for causing one or more processors of a computer system to execute the communication measurement method. The program may be recorded on a non-transitory recording medium readable by the computer system.

[0022] (2) Details The detailed configuration of the communication measurement system 1 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.

[0023] (2.1) Communication Measurement System In this embodiment, there are multiple workers. The communication measurement system 1 estimates the engagement of each of the multiple workers for each predetermined estimation period. More specifically, the communication measurement system 1 measures the amount of communication between workers in online conferences and then estimates the engagement of each of the multiple workers. The predetermined estimation period is, for example, one week.

[0024] 1, the communication measurement system 1 includes a communication measurement device 2, a plurality of PCs 3, and a data server 4. In the following description, each of the plurality of PCs 3 may be simply referred to as a "PC 3."

[0025] (2.2) PC Each of the multiple workers uses a PC 3 for work. More specifically, each of the multiple workers is assigned, for example, one or more PCs 3 by their employer. Each of the multiple workers uses the one or more PCs 3 assigned to them. In other words, the first worker and the second worker use the one or more PCs 3 assigned to them.

[0026] PC3 is an example of a computer system used by a worker for work. A computer system includes one or more computers. The computer system used by a worker for work is not limited to PC3, and may be, for example, a mobile phone such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a host computer. Furthermore, the computer system used by a worker for work may be, for example, a computer system for operating an operation object such as a vehicle or a machine tool, and the usage history may include the operation history of the operation object.

[0027] The PC 3 of this embodiment includes an operation unit 31 and a microphone 32 .

[0028] The operation unit 31 includes a mouse, a keyboard, a pointing device, etc. If the PC 3 is equipped with a touch panel display, the touch panel display may also function as the operation unit 31.

[0029] The microphone 32 converts the voice of the worker using the PC 3 into audio information in the form of an electrical signal.

[0030] In the present embodiment, an online conference application and a presentation application are installed on the PC 3 .

[0031] The online conference application is an application that enables online conferences with other information terminals via a network such as the Internet. In an online conference, it is possible to conduct at least one of voice calls using a microphone 32 and chats using an operation unit 31 such as a keyboard. In addition, the online conference application also makes it possible to display images such as slides from a presentation application on the display unit of another information terminal.

[0032] The presentation application makes it possible to create presentation materials (slides) made up of text, graphics, etc. By using the presentation application, workers can make presentations by displaying the created presentation materials on a display unit such as the PC 3, another information terminal, or a screen.

[0033] The PC 3 also includes a storage device that stores its own usage history. The storage device is a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc. Software for acquiring the usage history of the PC 3 and storing it in the storage device may be installed on the PC 3.

[0034] The usage history includes the usage history of the microphone 32, the online conference application, and the presentation application. The usage history of the microphone 32 includes the history of the date and time of use of the microphone 32 and the history of the input level. The usage history of the online conference application includes the history of the date and time of the meeting, the history of the meeting name (title), the history of the meeting participants, and the chat history of the meeting. The usage history of the presentation application includes the history of the date and time when the presentation application is launched. Note that the usage history of the microphone 32, the usage history of the online conference application, and the usage history of the presentation application may be associated with each other in chronological order.

[0035] The PC 3 transmits the usage history to the communication measurement device 2 .

[0036] (2.3) Data Server The data server 4 stores relationship information. The relationship information is information about the relationships between multiple workers in their workplace (a company, government office, organization, etc.). More specifically, the relationship information includes, for example, information about the hierarchical relationships between multiple workers. The information about the hierarchical relationships between multiple workers is, for example, information about the job positions of each of the multiple workers. A job position refers to a work position. A job position is a position or a rank, etc. In other words, the relationship information includes information about the position of a certain worker relative to another worker. For example, the relationship information associates information about Worker A with information about Worker B, who is Worker A's primary supervisor (immediate supervisor), information about Worker C, who is Worker A's secondary supervisor (the immediate supervisor of Worker A), information about Worker D, who is Worker A's colleague (with the same job position), and information about Worker E, who is Worker A's subordinate.

[0037] The relationship information also includes, for example, organizational information related to the organization (department or division, etc.) to which each of the multiple workers belongs. The department or division is distinguished by its name, for example, XXX Department, YYY Section, ZZZ Center, etc. The relationship information also includes, for example, task information related to the task (project, etc.) in which each of the multiple workers is involved.

[0038] The data server 4 of this embodiment transmits relationship information to the communication measurement device 2 .

[0039] (2.4) Communication Measurement Device As shown in FIG. 1, the communication measurement device 2 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit 23.

[0040] The storage unit 22 is a storage device configured with a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, or the like. The storage unit 22 stores information. The storage unit 22 stores multiple usage histories acquired from multiple PCs 3 used by multiple workers, relationship information acquired from the data server 4, and the like.

[0041] The communication unit 23 includes a communication interface device. The communication unit 23 is capable of communicating with external devices (e.g., the PC 3 and the data server 4) via the communication interface device. In the present disclosure, "capable of communication" means that signals can be sent and received directly or indirectly via a network, a repeater, or the like, using an appropriate communication method such as wired communication or wireless communication.

[0042] The control unit 21 includes a computer system having one or more processors and a memory. The functions of the control unit 21 are realized by the processor of the computer system executing a program recorded in the memory of the computer system. The program may be recorded in the memory, or may be provided via a telecommunications line such as the Internet, or may be recorded on a non-transitory recording medium such as a memory card and provided.

[0043] The control unit 21 acquires multiple usage histories from multiple PCs 3 used by multiple workers via the communication unit 23 and the network, and acquires relationship information from the data server 4. As described above, the multiple usage histories and relationship information acquired by the control unit 21 are stored in the storage unit 22.

[0044] The control unit 21 includes a person selection unit 211 , a conference selection unit 212 , a calculation unit 213 , and an estimation unit 214 .

[0045] The person selection unit 211 performs a person selection process (person selection step) to select a first worker and a second worker based on relationship information regarding the relationship between the worker and another worker.

[0046] The person selection unit 211 of this embodiment selects a worker whose engagement is to be estimated as a first worker. Furthermore, the person selection unit 211 selects the first worker's superior, the first worker's subordinate, a colleague in the same department as the first worker, etc. as a second worker based on the relationship information. Furthermore, the person selection unit 211 may select a colleague who is involved in the same task (project, etc.) as a second worker based on the task information included in the relationship information. In other words, the person selection unit 211 selects a worker who has a predetermined relationship with the first worker as a second worker based on the relationship information.

[0047] The communication measurement system 1 of this embodiment estimates the engagement of each of a plurality of workers. That is, the person selection unit 211 of this embodiment selects each of the plurality of workers as a first worker. Furthermore, the person selection unit 211 selects one or more second workers for each first worker.

[0048] The person selection unit 211 selects the first worker and the second worker based on the relationship information, and all pair combinations of multiple workers (for example, when the number of multiple workers is n, ｎ C ２ This reduces the number of communication amount calculations compared to calculating the communication amount for a set of workers (i.e., a first worker and a second worker). In other words, by having the person selection unit 211 select the first worker and the second worker based on the relationship information, the time required to calculate the communication amount can be shortened, and the load on the communication measurement system 1 can be reduced. Furthermore, the relationship information includes information regarding the relative positions of the workers and task information. Therefore, the person selection unit 211 can select a second worker who holds a specific job position from the perspective of the first worker, or a second worker who is participating in the same task (e.g., project) as the first worker. Therefore, the communication measurement system 1 of this embodiment can efficiently measure the communication amount between a first worker and a second worker who has a predetermined relationship with the first worker.

[0049] The conference selection unit 212 selects an online conference in which both the first worker and the second worker participated, based on at least one of the usage history of the PC 3 (terminal) used by the first worker and the usage history of the PC 3 (terminal) used by the second worker. For example, the conference selection unit 212 selects an online conference in which both the first worker and the second worker participated by determining whether the second worker is participating in a conference with the same conference name as the conference in which the first worker participated. In the following description, the usage history of the PC 3 used by the first worker may be referred to as the "first usage history," and the usage history of the PC 3 used by the second worker may be referred to as the "second usage history."

[0050] For example, the meeting selection unit 212 generates aggregated information by aggregating information about meetings attended by the first worker based on the first usage history and the relationship information. For example, the aggregated information is information such as that shown in Table 1 below. Note that it is not essential for the meeting selection unit 212 to generate the aggregated information; the person selection unit 211, the calculation unit 213, or the like may generate the aggregated information. Furthermore, the control unit 21 may have an aggregation unit that generates the aggregated information.

[0051]

[0052] The aggregated information is information in which various histories of meetings attended by the first worker are associated with each other. In this embodiment, the aggregated information associates the name of the meeting, the duration of the meeting, the number of participants, and the names, affiliations, and job titles of the participants. "Worker A" in Table 1 corresponds to the first worker. Note that the times in Table 1 are in minutes, for example. That is, the meeting duration of Meeting A is, for example, 90 minutes, and the meeting duration of Meeting B is, for example, 40 minutes.

[0053] In the following explanation, a case will be described in which the second worker selected by the person selection unit 211 is "Worker B" in Table 1. The meeting selection unit 212 selects a meeting in which both "Worker A" and "Worker B" participated, based on the aggregated information. Here, the meeting selection unit 212 may select multiple meetings in which both the first worker and the second worker participated. In the example of Table 1, the meeting selection unit 212 selects "Meeting A," "Meeting B," "Meeting D," and "Meeting E."

[0054] The calculation unit 213 calculates the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker in the conference selected by the conference selection unit 212 based on, for example, the aggregate information.

[0055] The calculation unit 213 calculates the amount of communication so that the more participants in an online conference, the less communication there is. It is considered that the more participants in a conference, the less communication there is between the first worker and the second worker. Therefore, by calculating the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker so that the more participants in a conference, the less communication there is between the first worker and the second worker, the accuracy of measuring the amount of communication can be improved.

[0056] More specifically, the calculation unit 213 calculates the communication amount by multiplying a parameter for calculating the communication amount by a decreasing function whose value decreases as the number of participants in the conference increases. For example, the calculation unit 213 calculates the communication amount using the following formula (1).

[0057] C1=C×t×f(n) Formula (1)

[0058] C1 in formula (1) is the amount of communication per conference. However, the calculation unit 213 may calculate the amount of communication per conference by further performing a calculation using C1 calculated by formula (1). In other words, C1 may be a parameter for calculating the amount of communication. C in formula (1) is the amount of communication per unit time. The unit time is, for example, one minute. t in formula (1) is the conference time. C and t are parameters for calculating the amount of communication. f(n) in formula (1) is a decreasing function whose value decreases as the number of participants in the conference increases.

[0059] Here, f(n) is expressed by, for example, the following equation (2).

[0060] f(n)=1 / n Formula (2)

[0061] In equation (2), n is the number of participants in the conference. That is, for example, a decreasing function whose value decreases as the number of participants in the conference increases is a linear fractional function of the number of participants. When the calculation unit 213 calculates the amount of communication between worker A and worker B in conference A and conference B using equations (1) and (2), the amount of communication for conference A is 18C, and the amount of communication for conference B is 20C. In other words, although conference A lasts longer than conference B, the amount of communication calculated by the calculation unit 213 for conference A is less than that for conference B. The amount of communication can be calculated by a simple calculation by multiplying a parameter for calculating the amount of communication by a decreasing function, which is a linear fractional function of the number of participants. Note that when the number of participants is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the calculation unit 213 may calculate the amount of communication assuming that the number of participants is the predetermined number.

[0062] The calculation unit 213 extracts, from the first usage history, the usage history of the microphone 32 and the usage history of the presentation app corresponding to each of "Meeting A," "Meeting B," "Meeting D," and "Meeting E." Note that the calculation unit 213 may also extract, from the second usage history, the usage history of the microphone 32 and the usage history of the presentation app corresponding to each of "Meeting A," "Meeting B," "Meeting D," and "Meeting E."

[0063] Furthermore, f(n) may be expressed by, for example, the following equation (3).

[0064] f(n)=an Formula (3)

[0065] In equation (3), a is the intercept. a is, for example, 10. The decreasing function, whose value decreases as the number of participants in a meeting increases, is a linear function of the number of participants. When a is 10, the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker is 0 in a meeting with 10 or more participants. The amount of communication can be calculated by multiplying the parameter for calculating the amount of communication by a decreasing function, which is a linear function of the number of participants, to calculate the amount of communication, making it possible to calculate the amount of communication with a simple calculation.

[0066] Furthermore, the calculation unit 213 calculates the communication amount so that the communication amount increases as the speech volume of at least one of the first worker and the second worker increases. In this embodiment, the speech volume is determined by the speech duration. By calculating the communication amount based on the speech volume, the accuracy of measuring the communication amount can be further improved.

[0067] More specifically, the calculation unit 213 calculates the amount of communication by multiplying a parameter for calculating the amount of communication by a function whose value increases as the amount of messages increases. For example, the calculation unit 213 calculates the amount of communication using the following formula (4).

[0068] C2=C×t×g(ts) Formula (4)

[0069] C2 in formula (4) is the amount of communication per conference. However, the calculation unit 213 may calculate the amount of communication per conference by further performing a calculation using C2 calculated by formula (4). In other words, C2 may be a parameter for calculating the amount of communication. g(ts) in formula (4) is a function whose value increases as the amount of speech by at least one of the first worker and the second worker increases. Note that instead of C×t in formula (4), C1 calculated by formula (1) may be used in formula (4).

[0070] Here, g(ts) is expressed by, for example, the following equation (5).

[0071] g(ts)=ts / t Formula (5)

[0072] In equation (5), ts is the amount of speech (speech time) of at least one of the first and second workers in one conference. In other words, a function whose value increases as the amount of speech of at least one of the first and second workers increases is expressed as the ratio of speech volume to conference time of the online conference. ts may be the amount of speech of only one of the first and second workers, or may be the sum of the amount of speech of the first worker and the amount of speech of the second worker. In this embodiment, ts is the amount of speech of the first worker. The amount of communication can be calculated by a simple calculation by multiplying a parameter for calculating the amount of communication by a function whose value increases as the amount of speech of at least one of the first and second workers increases.

[0073] The calculation unit 213 detects the volume of speech based on the input level of the microphone 32. Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the input level of the microphone 32. A graph L1 shows an example of the input level of the microphone 32.

[0074] The calculation unit 213 detects the start of speech when the input level of the microphone 32 is equal to or greater than a first threshold Th1, and detects the end of speech when the input level of the microphone 32 is less than a second threshold Th2 that is smaller than the first threshold Th1. In other words, the first threshold Th1 and the second threshold Th2 are set to have hysteresis.

[0075] 2 , the calculation unit 213 detects the start of a speech at timing T1 when the input level is equal to or greater than the first threshold Th1, and detects the end of the speech at timing T2 when the input level is less than the second threshold Th2. That is, the calculation unit 213 detects a speech in the period between timing T1 and timing T2. The calculation unit 213 also detects the start of a speech at timing T3 when the input level is equal to or greater than the first threshold Th1, and detects the end of the speech at timing T4 when the input level is less than the second threshold Th2. That is, the calculation unit 213 detects a speech in the period between timing T3 and timing T4.

[0076] The calculation unit 213 detects the volume of speech based on the input level of the microphone 32, so the volume of speech in a conference can be detected with high accuracy. Furthermore, the calculation unit 213 detects speech using the first threshold value Th1 and the second threshold value Th2, which are set to have hysteresis. Therefore, the volume of speech in a conference can be detected with high accuracy.

[0077] Furthermore, the calculation unit 213 determines whether or not a statement is a presentation-style statement, and, depending on the determination result, performs a process of multiplying the amount of statements in the presentation style by a coefficient smaller than 1, or a process of multiplying the amount of statements in the non-presentation style by a coefficient larger than 1. The calculation unit 213 in this embodiment multiplies the amount of statements in the presentation style by 0. The coefficient is set appropriately. By relatively reducing the influence (contribution) of statements in the presentation style in calculating the amount of communication, the accuracy of measuring the amount of communication can be further improved.

[0078] More specifically, the calculation unit 213 determines that a statement by the first worker or the second worker is a presentation-style statement on the condition that the statement by the first worker or the second worker is made continuously for a predetermined time X0 or more (see FIG. 3). Because the criteria for determining whether a statement is a presentation-style statement are simple, the calculation unit 213 can easily determine whether a statement is a presentation-style statement.

[0079] Furthermore, the calculation unit 213 determines that a statement by one of the first worker and the second worker is a presentation-style statement on the condition that the statement by one of the first worker and the second worker is made continuously for a predetermined period of time or more without the other of the first worker and the second worker making a statement. In other words, the calculation unit 213 determines that a statement is a presentation-style statement when one of the first worker and the second worker is making a unilateral statement continuously for a predetermined period of time or more. By setting the condition that the statement is made unilaterally, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not a statement is a presentation-style statement.

[0080] Furthermore, the calculation unit 213 determines that a statement is a presentation-style statement on the condition that the worker making the statement has a presentation application running. Note that the calculation unit 213 of this embodiment determines whether the worker making the statement has a presentation application running based on the usage history of the presentation application. When making a presentation-style statement, the statement is often made with the presentation application running. Therefore, by using whether the presentation application is running as a determination criterion, presentation-style statements can be detected more accurately.

[0081] 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the concept of the conversation determination process by the calculation unit 213. The calculation process will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0082] The "speech flag" in FIG. 3 is a flag indicating whether or not a worker is speaking. If the calculation unit 213 determines that a worker is speaking based on the input level of the microphone 32, the speech flag is turned on (ON). On the other hand, if the calculation unit 213 determines that a worker is not speaking, the speech flag is turned off (OFF). For example, the speech flag is updated every minute. The "first speech flag" is a speech flag indicating whether or not a first worker is speaking. The "second speech flag" is a speech flag indicating whether or not a second worker is speaking.

[0083] The "presentation flag" in FIG. 3 is a flag indicating whether the speech is in presentation format. If the calculation unit 213 determines that the speech is in presentation format, the presentation flag is turned on (ON). On the other hand, if the calculation unit 213 determines that the speech is not in presentation format, the presentation flag is turned off (OFF). In this embodiment, the calculation unit 213 determines that the speech is in presentation format when the worker making the speech has a presentation application running and the speech has been made continuously for a predetermined time period X0 or more. In other words, the period during which the calculation unit 213 determines that the speech is in presentation format is limited to the period X7 between timing T10 and timing T23 when the presentation application is running (ON).

[0084] The speech made by the first worker during the period between timing T15 and timing T17 continues for a predetermined time period X0 or more at timing T16. Therefore, the calculation unit 213 determines that the speech made during the period between timing T15 and timing T17 is in the presentation format. As described above, the calculation unit 213 in this embodiment multiplies the speech volume of the speech in the presentation format by 0.

[0085] 3, the first speech flag is on during the period between timing T11 and timing T12, the period between timing T15 and timing T17, and the period between timing T19 and timing T20. In other words, the speech volume of the first worker is the sum of speech volume X1, speech volume X3, and speech volume X5. Here, the calculation unit 213 of this embodiment multiplies speech volume X3 by 0, and therefore determines the sum of speech volume X1 and speech volume X5 to be the speech volume of the first worker.

[0086] The second speech flag is on during the period between timing T13 and timing T14, the period between timing T18 and timing T19, and the period between timing T21 and timing T22. In other words, the speech volume of the second worker is the sum of speech volume X2, speech volume X4, and speech volume X6.

[0087] The estimation unit 214 performs an estimation process (estimation step) to estimate the engagement of each of the multiple workers for each predetermined estimation period. The estimation unit 214 of this embodiment estimates the engagement of the first worker based on the amount of communication calculated by the calculation unit 213. That is, the estimation unit 214 of this embodiment uses the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker calculated by the calculation unit 213 as a parameter for estimating the engagement of the first worker. Because the engagement of the workers is estimated based on the amount of communication calculated by the calculation unit 213, the accuracy of the engagement estimation can be improved.

[0088] Furthermore, in the estimation process of this embodiment, when the second worker is the first worker's boss, the amount of communication has a greater impact on engagement than when the second worker is not the first worker's boss. In other words, when the second worker is the first worker's boss and the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker is high, the first worker's engagement is likely to be high. In the estimation process of this embodiment, the impact on engagement is adjusted depending on the worker's job position, which improves the accuracy of engagement estimation.

[0089] (3) Operation of the Communication Measurement System Next, the operation of the communication measurement system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0090] First, the communication measurement system 1 performs a person selection process (person selection step) (S1). That is, the communication measurement system 1 selects one first worker and one or more second workers from among multiple workers based on relationship information. Here, the communication measurement system 1 may select multiple second workers for one first worker. If multiple second workers are selected in the person selection process, the communication measurement system 1 of this embodiment performs the following processes of steps S2 to S5 for each of the selected multiple second workers. That is, the communication measurement system 1 of this embodiment repeats the processes of steps S2 to S5 the same number of times as the number of selected second workers.

[0091] Next, the communication measurement system 1 performs a conference selection process (conference selection step) (S2). That is, the communication measurement system 1 selects a conference in which both the first worker and the second worker participated, based on at least one of the usage histories of the PC 3 used by the first worker and the PC 3 used by the second worker. If multiple conferences are selected in the conference selection process, the communication measurement system 1 performs the following steps S3 and S4 for each of the selected conferences. That is, the communication measurement system 1 of this embodiment repeats the processes of steps S3 and S4 the same number of times as the number of selected conferences.

[0092] Next, the communication measurement system 1 performs a calculation process (calculation step) (S3). The calculation process will be described with reference to FIG.

[0093] The communication measurement system 1 measures the number of participants in a conference for which the amount of communication is to be calculated, for example, by referring to the aggregate information (S11). Then, the communication measurement system 1 performs weighting according to the number of participants in the conference (S12). In other words, the communication measurement system 1 performs weighting so that the greater the number of participants in the conference, the smaller the amount of communication.

[0094] Next, the communication measurement system 1 determines whether or not a speech is made in a presentation format (S13). In this embodiment, the communication measurement system 1 determines that a speech is a presentation format when the first worker has launched a presentation application and the speech is made continuously for a predetermined time period X0 or more. If the communication measurement system 1 determines that a speech is not made in a presentation format (S13: No), it proceeds to step S15.

[0095] On the other hand, if the communication measurement system 1 determines that there are speech-style utterances (S13: Yes), it weights the amount of speech-style utterances (S14). Specifically, the communication measurement system 1 of this embodiment performs a process of multiplying the amount of speech-style utterances by a coefficient smaller than 1.

[0096] Next, the communication measurement system 1 measures the speech volume (speech time) of the first worker (S15). Next, the communication measurement system 1 weights the first worker according to the speech rate, which is the ratio between the speech volume and meeting time of the first worker (S16). In other words, the communication measurement system 1 weights the first worker so that the more the first worker speaks, the greater the amount of communication.

[0097] Then, the communication measurement system 1 calculates the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker in one conference (S17), and ends the calculation process (S3).

[0098] Next, the communication measurement system 1 determines whether there are any other meetings selected in the meeting selection process (S4). If there are any other meetings, that is, meetings for which the communication amount has not been calculated (S4: Yes), the process returns to step S3.

[0099] On the other hand, if there are no other meetings (S4: No), the communication measurement system 1 determines whether the communication amount has been calculated for all combinations of the one first worker selected in the person selection process and one or more second workers. In other words, the communication measurement system 1 determines whether there are any other second workers for whom the communication amount is to be calculated (S5).

[0100] If there are other second workers for whom the communication amount needs to be calculated (S5: Yes), the process returns to step S2. On the other hand, if there are no other second workers for whom the communication amount needs to be calculated (S5: No), that is, if the communication amount between each of the one or more second workers selected in the person selection process and the first worker has already been calculated, the process proceeds to step S6.

[0101] In step S6, the communication measurement system 1 performs an estimation process (estimation step) (S6). That is, the communication measurement system 1 estimates the engagement of the first worker based on the amount of communication calculated in the calculation process. Then, the communication measurement system 1 ends the process.

[0102] The communication amount calculated in the process of step S3 may be output. For example, the communication amount calculated in the process of step S3 may be displayed on the screen as a numerical value representing the degree of the communication amount, or may be displayed as a symbol such as an icon. Furthermore, the communication measurement device 2 may transmit the communication amount to another device.

[0103] The engagement estimation result estimated in step S6 may be output. For example, the engagement estimation result estimated in step S6 may be displayed on a screen as a numerical value representing the degree of engagement, or may be displayed as a symbol such as an icon. Furthermore, the communication measurement device 2 may transmit the engagement estimation result to another device.

[0104] The flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are merely examples, and the order of the processes may be changed as appropriate, and processes may be added or deleted as appropriate.

[0105] (4) Modifications Modifications of the above embodiment are listed below.

[0106] The execution entity of the communication measurement system 1 or communication measurement method of the present disclosure includes a computer system. The computer system is primarily composed of a processor and memory as hardware. The processor executes a program stored in the computer system's memory to realize the functions of the execution entity of the communication measurement system 1 or communication measurement method of the present disclosure. The program may be pre-recorded in the computer system's memory, provided via a telecommunications line, or provided on a non-transitory recording medium readable by the computer system, such as a memory card, optical disk, or hard disk drive. The processor of the computer system is composed of one or more electronic circuits, including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or a large-scale integrated circuit (LSI). The integrated circuits, such as ICs and LSIs, are referred to by different names depending on the degree of integration, and include integrated circuits called system LSIs, very large-scale integrations (VLSIs), or ultra-large-scale integrations (ULSIs). Furthermore, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), which are programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or logic devices that allow the reconfiguration of internal connections or circuit partitions within the LSI, can also be used as processors. The electronic circuits may be integrated into one chip or distributed across multiple chips. The chips may be integrated into one device or distributed across multiple devices. The computer system referred to here includes a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories. Therefore, the microcontroller is also composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit or a large-scale integrated circuit.

[0107] Furthermore, it is not essential for the communication measurement system 1 that multiple functions are concentrated in one housing, and the components of the communication measurement system 1 may be distributed across multiple housings. Furthermore, at least some of the functions of the communication measurement system 1, for example, some of the functions of the communication measurement device 2, may be realized by the cloud (cloud computing) or the like.

[0108] Conversely, in the above embodiment, at least some of the functions of the communication measurement system 1 that are distributed across multiple devices may be consolidated into one housing. For example, some of the functions of the communication measurement system 1 that are distributed across the communication measurement system 1 and the data server 4 may be consolidated into one housing.

[0109] The communication measurement system 1 only needs to include at least a person selection unit 211, a conference selection unit 212, and a calculation unit 213. In other words, the communication measurement system 1 only needs to be able to calculate the amount of communication between workers in online conferences, and it is not essential that the communication measurement system 1 be used to estimate worker engagement.

[0110] The PC 3 may transmit the usage history to the data server 4. The communication measurement device 2 may acquire the usage history from the data server 4.

[0111] The formulas (1) to (5) described in the above embodiment are merely examples, and for example, terms may be added as appropriate, or coefficients may be added to variables.

[0112] (Summary) As described above, the communication measurement system (1) according to the first aspect includes a person selection unit (211), a conference selection unit (212), and a calculation unit (213). The person selection unit (211) selects a first worker and a second worker based on relationship information regarding the relationship between the worker and another worker. The conference selection unit (212) selects online conferences in which both the first worker and the second worker participated based on at least one of the usage history of the terminal (PC3) used by the first worker and the usage history of the terminal (PC3) used by the second worker. The calculation unit (213) calculates the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker in the online conference selected by the conference selection unit (212) based on at least one of the usage history of the terminal used by the first worker and the usage history of the terminal used by the second worker.

[0113] According to this aspect, the amount of communication between workers in online conferences is calculated based on the usage history of the terminal (PC3), such as a notebook PC, used by the worker, thereby improving the accuracy of measuring the amount of communication.

[0114] In the communication measurement system (1) according to the second aspect, in the first aspect, the calculation unit (213) calculates the amount of communication so that the more participants in the online conference there are, the smaller the amount of communication becomes.

[0115] According to this aspect, the accuracy of measuring the amount of communication can be improved by calculating the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker so that the greater the number of participants in the meeting, the smaller the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker.

[0116] In the communication measurement system (1) according to the third aspect, in the second aspect, the calculation unit (213) calculates the amount of communication by multiplying a parameter for calculating the amount of communication by a function whose value decreases as the number of participants increases. The function is a linear fractional function of the number of participants.

[0117] According to this aspect, the amount of communication can be calculated by simple calculation.

[0118] In the communication measurement system (1) according to the fourth aspect, in the second aspect, the calculation unit (213) calculates the amount of communication by multiplying a parameter for calculating the amount of communication by a function whose value decreases as the number of participants increases. The function is a linear function of the number of participants.

[0119] According to this aspect, the amount of communication can be calculated by simple calculation.

[0120] In the communication measurement system (1) relating to the fifth aspect, in any of the first to fourth aspects, the calculation unit (213) calculates the amount of communication so that the greater the amount of speech of at least one of the first worker and the second worker, the greater the amount of communication.

[0121] According to this aspect, the amount of communication is calculated based on the amount of messages, thereby making it possible to further improve the accuracy of measuring the amount of communication.

[0122] In the communication measurement system (1) according to the sixth aspect, in the fifth aspect, the calculation unit (213) calculates the communication amount by multiplying a parameter for calculating the communication amount by a function whose value increases as the communication amount increases. The function is expressed as a ratio of the communication amount to the conference time of the online conference.

[0123] According to this aspect, the amount of communication can be calculated by simple calculation.

[0124] In the communication measurement system (1) according to the seventh aspect, in the fifth or sixth aspect, the calculation unit (213) detects the volume of speech based on the input level of the microphone (32).

[0125] According to this aspect, the calculation unit (213) detects the volume of speech based on the input level of the microphone (32), so that the volume of speech in a conference can be detected with high accuracy.

[0126] In the communication measurement system (1) according to the eighth aspect, in the seventh aspect, the calculation unit (213) detects the start of an utterance when the input level is equal to or greater than a first threshold (Th1), and detects the end of an utterance when the input level is less than a second threshold (Th2) that is smaller than the first threshold (Th1).

[0127] According to this aspect, speech is detected using the first threshold (Th1) and the second threshold (Th2) that are set to have hysteresis, so that the amount of speech in a conference can be detected with higher accuracy.

[0128] In the communication measurement system (1) according to the ninth aspect, in any of the fifth to eighth aspects, the calculation unit (213) determines whether a statement is a presentation-style statement. Depending on the determination result, the calculation unit (213) performs a process of multiplying the volume of presentation-style statements by a coefficient smaller than 1, or a process of multiplying the volume of non-presentation-style statements by a coefficient larger than 1.

[0129] According to this aspect, the degree of influence (degree of contribution) of statements in the presentation format in calculating the amount of communication is relatively small, thereby making it possible to further improve the accuracy of measuring the amount of communication.

[0130] In the communication measurement system (1) relating to the tenth aspect, in the ninth aspect, the calculation unit (213) determines that a statement is a presentation-style statement, provided that the statement is made continuously for a predetermined period of time or more.

[0131] According to this aspect, the calculation unit (213) can easily determine whether or not a statement is in the form of a presentation.

[0132] In the communication measurement system (1) relating to the eleventh aspect, in the tenth aspect, the calculation unit (213) determines that a statement made by one of the first worker and the second worker is a presentation-style statement, provided that the statement made by one of the first worker and the second worker is made continuously for a predetermined period of time or more without the other of the first worker and the second worker making any statement.

[0133] According to this aspect, by setting the condition that the statement is made unilaterally, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not the statement is in a presentation format.

[0134] In the communication measurement system (1) relating to the twelfth aspect, in any of the ninth to eleventh aspects, the calculation unit (213) determines that the statement is a presentation-style statement, provided that the worker making the statement has a presentation application running.

[0135] According to this aspect, speeches in the form of presentations can be detected with higher accuracy.

[0136] The communication measurement system (1) according to a thirteenth aspect is any one of the first to twelfth aspects, further including an estimation unit (214). The estimation unit (214) performs an estimation process to estimate the engagement of the first worker based on the amount of communication calculated by the calculation unit (213).

[0137] According to this aspect, the engagement of a worker is estimated based on the amount of communication calculated by the calculation unit (213), thereby improving the accuracy of engagement estimation.

[0138] In the communication measurement system (1) according to the fourteenth aspect, in the thirteenth aspect, in the estimation process, when the second worker is the boss of the first worker, the influence of the amount of communication on engagement is greater than when the second worker is not the boss of the first worker.

[0139] According to this aspect, the degree of influence on engagement is adjusted depending on the worker's job position, thereby improving the accuracy of engagement estimation.

[0140] The configurations other than the first aspect are not essential for the communication measurement system (1) and can be omitted as appropriate.

[0141] A communication measurement method according to a fifteenth aspect is executed by a computer system (communication measurement system 1). The communication measurement method includes a person selection step, a conference selection step, and a calculation step. In the person selection step, a first worker and a second worker are selected based on relationship information regarding the relationship between the worker and another worker. In the conference selection step, an online conference in which both the first worker and the second worker participated is selected based on at least one of the usage history of the terminal (PC3) used by the first worker and the usage history of the terminal (PC3) used by the second worker. In the calculation step, the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker in the online conference selected in the conference selection step is calculated based on at least one of the usage history of the terminal used by the first worker and the usage history of the terminal used by the second worker.

[0142] According to this aspect, the amount of communication between workers in online conferences is calculated based on the usage history of the terminal (PC3), such as a notebook PC, used by the worker, thereby improving the accuracy of measuring the amount of communication.

[0143] A program according to a sixteenth aspect is a program for causing one or more processors to execute the communication measurement method according to the fourteenth aspect.

[0144] According to this aspect, the amount of communication between workers in online conferences is calculated based on the usage history of the terminals used by the workers, such as notebook PCs, thereby improving the accuracy of measuring the amount of communication.

[0145] 1 Communication measurement system 211 Person selection unit 212 Conference selection unit 213 Calculation unit 214 Estimation unit 3 PC (terminal) 32 Microphone Th1 First threshold Th2 Second threshold

Claims

1. A person selection unit that selects a first worker and a second worker based on relationship information regarding the relationship between the first worker and another worker; A meeting selection unit that selects an online meeting in which the first worker and the second worker participated together based on at least one of the usage history of the terminal used by the first worker and the usage history of the terminal used by the second worker; A calculation unit that calculates the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker in the online meeting selected by the meeting selection unit based on at least one of the usage histories; A communication measurement system comprising: A communication measurement system.

2. The calculation unit calculates the amount of communication such that the amount of communication decreases as the number of participants in the online meeting increases. The communication measurement system according to Claim 1.

3. The calculation unit calculates the amount of communication by multiplying a parameter for calculating the amount of communication by a function in which the value decreases as the number of participants increases. The function is a linear fractional function of the number of participants. The communication measurement system according to Claim 2.

4. The calculation unit calculates the amount of communication by multiplying a parameter for calculating the amount of communication by a function in which the value decreases as the number of participants increases. The function is a linear function of the number of participants. The communication measurement system according to Claim 2.

5. The calculation unit calculates the amount of communication such that the amount of communication increases as the speech volume of at least one of the first worker and the second worker increases. The communication measurement system according to Claim 1 or 2.

6. The calculation unit calculates the amount of communication by multiplying a parameter for calculating the amount of communication by a function in which the value increases as the speech volume increases. The function is represented by the ratio of the speech volume to the meeting time of the online meeting. The communication measurement system according to Claim 5.

7. The calculation unit detects the speech volume based on the input level of the microphone. The communication measurement system according to Claim 5.

8. The calculation unit detects the start of a speech when the input level is equal to or higher than a first threshold value, and detects the end of a speech when the input level is less than a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value. The communication measurement system according to claim 7.

9. The calculation unit determines whether the speech is a speech in a presentation format, and performs a process of multiplying the speech volume of the speech in the presentation format by a coefficient having a value smaller than 1, or a process of multiplying the speech volume of a speech in a non-presentation format by a coefficient having a value larger than 1, according to the determination result. The communication measurement system according to claim 5.

10. The calculation unit determines that the speech is a speech in the presentation format on condition that the speech has been continuously performed for a predetermined time or longer. The communication measurement system according to claim 9.

11. The calculation unit determines that the speech of one of the first worker and the second worker is a speech in the presentation format on condition that the speech of one of the first worker and the second worker has been continuously performed for a predetermined time or longer in a state where the other of the first worker and the second worker does not make a speech. The communication measurement system according to claim 10.

12. The calculation unit determines that the speech is a speech in the presentation format on condition that the terminal used by the worker making the speech has launched a presentation application. The communication measurement system according to claim 9.

13. The communication measurement system further includes an estimation unit that performs an estimation process of estimating the engagement of the first worker based on the communication volume calculated by the calculation unit. The communication measurement system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

14. In the estimation process, when the second worker is a supervisor of the first worker, the influence degree of the communication volume on the engagement is larger than when the second worker is not a supervisor of the first worker. The communication measurement system according to claim 13.

15. A communication measurement method executed by a computer system, the method including: a person selection step of selecting a first worker and a second worker based on relationship information regarding the relationship between the worker and another worker; A meeting selection step of selecting an online meeting in which the first worker and the second worker both participated based on at least one of the usage history of the terminal used by the first worker and the usage history of the terminal used by the second worker; A calculation step of calculating the amount of communication between the first worker and the second worker in the online meeting selected in the meeting selection step based on the at least one usage history; having A communication measurement method.

16. A program for causing one or more processors to execute the communication measurement method according to claim 15. Program.