The use of group decision support systems (GDSS) is rapidly growing. One key factor in the effectiveness of these systems may be the manner in which users are supported in their use of this technology This paper explores two types of GDSS facilitative support: chauffeur-driven and facilitator-driven. In the former case, a person is used to reduce the mystique of the GDSS technology for users. In the latter case, a person assists the group with its group process in addition to reducing the mystique of the technology. The work unfolds a research story in which the original thinking of the research team to the effect that facilitator-driven GDSS facilitative support is superior is proven incorrect. The results of a pilot study caused the research team to reverse its thinking and hypothesize that, given the nature of the facilitation used and the task faced by the group, chauffeur-driven facilitation would have an advantage. The results of the experiment reported in this paper support this hypothesis. Arguments are presented to the effect that, to be effective in a judgment task environment, facilitation must be open and adaptive rather than restrictive.
The article discusses Star Enterprise's creation of the Enterprise Information Technology Architecture (EITA) to support business functions and management decision making. The author states that Star Enterprise is a joint venture partnership between Texaco Inc. and the Saudi Arabian Oil Company that was created in 1983 and became fully operational in 1989. The author explains that the creation of the EITA was a challenge because of the existing information technology that was comprised of incompatible hardware and nonintegrated systems. Information system architecture refers to the structure of the information system which consists of the applications for the various levels of the organization and the applications oriented to various management activities including planning, control, and decision making. Article topics also include the principles for an information technology architecture and its implications.
There is very little empirical research available on the effectiveness of decision support systems applied to decision-making groups operating in face-to-face meetings. In order to expand research in this area, a laboratory study was undertaken to examine the effects of group decision support systems (GDSS) technology on group decision quality and individual perceptions within a problem-finding context. A crisis management task served as the decision-making context. Two versions of the experimental task, one higher in difficulty and the other lower in difficulty, were administered to GDSS-supported and nonsupported decision-making groups, yielding a 2 X 2 factorial design. Decision quality was significantly better in those groups that received GDSS support. The GDSS was particularly helpful in the groups receiving the task of higher difficulty. Members' decision confidence and satisfaction with the decision process were, however, lower in the GDSS-supported groups than in the nonsupported groups. These findings expand knowledge of the applicability of GDSS for decision-making tasks and suggest that dissatisfaction may be a stumbling block in user acceptance of these systems.
Knowledge of the most important issues in the information systems held would help focus research and educational efforts. A Delphi study, using leading information systems (IS) professionals, was used to identify and rank ten key IS management issues for the 1980's. Measures were also taken of the amount of agreement achieved on these issues and rankings. The number one issue identified was improved IS planning, followed by facilitation and management of end user computing. This article describes the research approach involved and discusses the results. This research was funded by the Society for Information Management and the MIS Research Center, School of Management, University of Minnesota.