W8-Application Assignment- Academic Article

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Social Badges - How effective are they?

 



 

MIT Portable Social Badge

This week’s readings referenced the importance of social and informal networks in the way we communicate.  Ross, Borgatti and Parker introduce Social Network Analysis (SNA) as a way to understand how the informal relationships that form among members of an organization, can be more powerful than the structure itself (Ross et al., 2002).  Additional research by Krackhardt and Hanson show that a number of companies have been forced to reorganize their internal teams, as a result of looking at their informal networks in detail (Krackhardt & Hanson, 1993).  For this week’s application assignment I selected a case study where researchers used a specific tool to try to measure how informal networks operate.  

              During their study Fischbach, Schoder and Gloor utilized micro computers, which were developed by MIT, called Social Badges (see picture above) to record the communication and interaction of employees at a large bank in Germany (Fischbach et al., 2009).  In the study a number of employees participated by wearing the Social Badges during their work day for a month.  The data of each employee’s interaction during that day would be calculated automatically.  For example, who the employee talked to during the day, how many times that person interacted, the inflection in their voice, etc.  In the article, the authors describe the following as characteristics of the Social Badge:

·         Embedded with infrared sensors to identify when face-to-face meetings are taking place

·         Bluetooth capability indicates if two people are in close vicinity

·         A speech sensor indicates who is speaking in a conversation, how much they’re speaking, and the tone of their voice

·         A tri-axial acceleration sensor allows for monitoring of the intensity of a movement

·         The content of the conversations was not recorded; meaning the Social Badge can identify who someone talked to and what time, but not what the conversation was about

During the study e-mails between employees were also gathered for data, but it was found that the information gathered in the Social Badges was more accurate and useful for the SNA.  The results of the study indicate that employees who were more extroverted considered themselves to be more productive.  In addition, the number of colleagues that an employee talked to throughout the day affected his or her level of productivity.  Lastly, the total time an employee spends communicating with colleagues had an effect on his or her level of job satisfaction and stress (Fischbach et al., 2009).

The study conducted by Fischbach, Schoder and Gloor provides useful results for managers.  After further examination, the findings could help managers at the bank reorganize their networks and reexamine how decisions are being made.  This data is also useful for managers to identify which employees are communicating well with each other, and which employees are at the central group of active communicators.      

            While the study provided some interesting results, there are some limitations to using the Social Badges.  Many of our readings this week refer to the concept of trust, as a mechanism that is needed to build strong ties within a network (Levin & Cross, 2004).  I do not think wearing a device such as a Social Badge, would instill much confidence or trust among employees.  If employees know their daily interactions were being monitored, it is likely their communication will change.  Furthermore, since the Social Badge does not record the actual content of the conversation it would be difficult to assess the types of ties or relationships being formed between employees.  Levin and Cross, refer to this concept in their study when they emphasize that trustworthiness in a social network should not be confused with friendship (Levin & Cross, 2004).  If the Social Badge can not record what a conversation is about, how could we know if the communication is even work related? Schoder and Gloor also suggest that Social Badge technology could be implemented in cell phones or employee ID badges for better data collection (Fischbach et al., 2009).  This would make for an interesting study, but I am not convinced that the results would be an accurate measure of informal network communications. What are your thoughts? Do you think Social Badges are an appropiate way to collect data about informal networks? 
 

References

Fischbach, K., Schoder, D., Gloor, P. A. (2009) Analysis of Informal Communication Networks - A Case

                 Study. Business & Information Systems Engineering, (1)2, 140-149. 

Cross, R., Borgatti, S.P., Parker, A. (2002). Making Invisible Work Visible: Using social network

                 analysis to support strategic collaboration. California Management Review, (44)2, 25-46.

Levin, D.Z., Cross, R. (2004). The Strength of Weal Ties You Can Trust: The mediating role of trust in

                 effective knowledge transfer. Management Science, (50)11, 1477-1490.

Krackhardt, D., Hanson, J. (1993). Informal Networks: The Company Behind the Chart. Harvard

                 Business Review, 104-111.