Understanding the link between changes in social support and changes in outcomes with the sociometric badge

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, June 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. "June 2011."Includes bibliographical references (p. 138-154).The goal of this thesis is to show that social support created through face-to-face interaction is a driving factor in a number of important outcomes. Through a series of studies we show that social support, operationalized using face-to-face network constraint (information clearing), is positively related to important outcomes such as productivity and job satisfaction and that changes in social support are positively related to changes in these outcomes. We then discuss a two-phase study where we experimentally modify break structure to increase network constraint and demonstrate a corresponding positive change in outcomes. Finally, we show that network constraint is also qualitatively related to outcomes and is an effective proxy for social support. To conclude we situate this research under a larger framework that provides direction for future research.by Benjamin Nathan Waber.Ph.D