Humanyze
TypeC Corporation
IndustryInternet, Software, Computer Hardware
PredecessorSociometric Solutions Inc.
Founded2010
Founders
  • Ben Waber (CEO)
  • Daniel Olguin (COO/CFO)
  • Taemie Kim (Chief Scientist)
  • Tuomas Jaanu (CTO)
  • Alex "Sandy" Pentland
Headquarters
Websitewww.humanyze.com

Humanyze, founded as Sociometric Solutions in 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts, is a people analytics software provider.[1][2] Humanyze was founded by MIT doctoral students Ben Waber, Daniel Olguin, Taemie Kim, Tuomas Jaanu, and MIT Professor Alex Pentland.[3] Humanyze's people analytics platform is based on research from the MIT Media Lab people analytics and utilizes Organizational Network Analysis to measure corporate communication data, identifying patterns in how companies operate.

Company History

Waber, Olguin, Kim, and Jaanu met while pursuing their Ph.D.s at the MIT Media Lab in Professor “Sandy” Pentland’s Human Dynamics group.[4] Sociometric Solutions Inc. was incorporated on October 26, 2010, as a research and consulting firm. In 2015, the company rebranded itself as "Humanyze" and transitioned to a software company. They launched their people analytics software, the Humanyze Platform, at the end of 2016.[5]

During their time at the MIT Media Lab, Humanyze’s founders developed a sociometric badge, a high-tech I.D. card.[6] This badge used sensors to measure the frequency and duration of face-to-face interactions.[7][8][9] It did not record content, web activity, or personal activities, and it did not have GPS.[10][11] The Sociometric Badge has since been discontinued for commercial use, as the Humanyze Platform evolved to primarily work with digital collaboration data and corporate-owned building entry card systems.[12]

In October 2021, the company officially received patents for its system and method for transforming communication metadata and sensor data into an objective measure of an organization's communication distribution.[13]

Products

Humanyze's people analytics platform measures corporate communication data to uncover patterns in workplace interactions. The platform is used for analyzing workplace data and making data-driven decisions related to organizational health, workplace strategy, and business process optimization. It is a web-based dashboard. A variety of data sources can be plugged into the Humanyze Platform including Microsoft Office Exchange, Google Suite, Skype, Microsoft Teams, HR information system outputs, and building access card logs.[14]

Research

During their time at the MIT Media Lab, Humanyze’s founders focused on measuring communication patterns by analyzing the frequency and duration of communication instead of communication content. This approach was found to be more effective in understanding workplace interactions.

The founders have published research articles related to their work at Humanyze.[15][16][17] One finding from the firm's research was that simple physical changes, such as having larger tables in a cafeteria, facilitated more interaction and collaboration among colleagues than smaller tables.[18] Another finding emphasized the importance of group breaks and office spaces which facilitate such breaks as having an important effect on employee morale and efficacy.[19]

References

  1. Lohr, Steve (2017-10-06). "Don't Get Too Comfortable at That Desk". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  2. Mims, Christopher (2017-10-08). "Why Office Buildings Should Run Like Spaceships". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  3. Noyes, Katherine. "Startup Humanyze's 'people analytics' wants to transform your workplace". Computerworld. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  4. "'People Analytics' Through Super-Charged ID Badges". MIT Sloan Management Review. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  5. "Humanyze Launches People Analytics Platform, Humanyze Elements". Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  6. "Specs that see right through you - tech - 05 July 2011". New Scientist. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  7. Waber, Benjamin N.; Olguin Olguin, Daniel; Kim, Taemie; Pentland, Alex (2008-08-12). "Understanding Organizational Behavior with Wearable Sensing Technology". Rochester, NY. SSRN 1263992. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. Olguín Olguín, Daniel; Waber, Benjamin; Kim, Taemie; Mohan, Akshay; Ara, Koji; Pentland, Alex (February 2009). "Sensible Organizations: Technology and Methodology for Automatically Measuring Organizational Behavior" (PDF). IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics - Part B: Cybernetics. 39 (1): 43–55. doi:10.1109/TSMCB.2008.2006638. hdl:1721.1/62024. PMID 19150759. S2CID 2758189.
  9. "The technology that's watching how you work, Work, Series 1, Billion Dollar Deals and How They Changed Your World - BBC Two". BBC. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  10. "New Firm Combines Wearables And Data To Improve Decision Making – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  11. "Moneyball in the Office Space". continuuminnovation.com. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  12. "Humanyze Announces New Workplace Strategy Solution To Help Companies Inform and Improve Workplace Decisions with Science-Backed Insights". Humanyze. 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  13. US 11157846, Kim, Taemie J.; Bradbury, Michelle Slezak & Olguin Olguin, Daniel, "System and method for transforming communication metadata and sensor data into an objective measure of the communication distribution of an organization", published 2021-10-26, assigned to Sociometric Solutions Inc.
  14. Humanyze. "Humanyze Teams with Bluvision, a part of HID Global, To Increase Access to Workforce Analytics". prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  15. "Taemie Kim - Google Scholar Citations". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  16. "Benjamin N Waber - Google Scholar Citations". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  17. "Daniel Olguin Olguin - Google Scholar Citations". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  18. Talk of the Nation. "Concrete Steps For Creating A Happier Office". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  19. Korkki, Phyllis (2012-07-14). "Group Breaks Can Raise Workplace Productivity". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
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