Sambamurthy, Vallabh

Market Positioning by IT Service Vendors Through Imitation (Information Systems Research, 2015)

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Authors:

Ruckman, Karen; Saraf, Nilesh; Sambamurthy, Vallabh;

Abstract:

Information technology (IT) services vendors operate in a highly competitive but also institutional environment that render their service-line offerings mutually observable. This suggests that imitation of rivals' decisions can be an efficient means for IT vendors when reconfiguring their service-line offerings. To explore how such imitation unfolds in this sector, we estimate a series of logistic regression models of 116 IT vendors' service-line choices over three time periods. First, from the strategic imitation literature we identify the key imitation Òreferents,Ó which is a group of firms or a single firm with specific traits, and we test the relative influence of each referent. All of our analysis includes these referents as predictors of service-line choice. Next, we tested more nuanced models using theoretically guided subsamples as follows. One, based on information systems (IS) literature, we consider the IT vendors as embedded in three distinct Òinstitutional spheres,Ó each corresponding to a knowledge domain, namely, technical, functional, and vertical industry domains. We separately examine imitation in each subsample corresponding to the three types of service lines. Two, based on strategy literature, we consider that the influence of the imitation referents differs when the choice under consideration is the addition of a new service line versus a withdrawal. Our results across all of these subsamples uncover a nuanced pattern of imitation that sometimes contrasts the full-sample results. The most prominent result is that although imitation is highly salient, the different imitation referents are not universally influential across all knowledge domains and between development versus withdrawal decisions. Specifically, the imitation of similar firms is widespread, whereas the imitation of largest firms or offering popular service-lines, which indicates bandwagon effects, are at play only selectively. This study contributes to the IS literature by laying a basis for a variety of research directions including resource spillovers and vicarious learning in IT sectors.

How Does IT Ambidexterity Impact Organizational Agility? (Information Systems Research, 2015)

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Authors:

Lee, One-Ki (Daniel); Sambamurthy, Vallabh; Lim, Kai H.; Wei, Kwok-Kee;

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Organizational agility is a significant business capability. Though there have been numerous studies about the effects of information technology (IT) capabilities on organizational agility, there has been limited attention on the enabling effects of IT ambidexterity, namely, the dual capacity to explore and exploit IT resources and practices. We propose that IT ambidexterity enhances organizational agility by facilitating operational ambidexterity, and that the magnitude of facilitation depends on the level of environmental dynamism. We test these relationships utilizing data from a large-scale, matched-pair field survey of business and IT executives. The results confirm that a firm's IT ambidexterity does enhance its organizational agility through the mediated effects of operational ambidexterity, and that the dynamism of a firm's environment affects these relationships.

Information Technology Competencies, Organizational Agility, and Firm Performance: Enabling and Facilitating Roles (Information Systems Research, 2013)

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Authors:

Grewal, Rajdeep; Sambamurthy, Vallabh;

Abstract:

The hypercompetitive aspects of modern business environments have drawn organizational attention toward agility as a strategic capability. Information technologies are expected to be an important competency in the development of organizational agility. This research proposes two distinct roles to understand how information technology competencies shape organizational agility and firm performance. In their enabling role, IT competencies are expected to directly enhance entrepreneurial and adaptive organizational agility. In their facilitating role, IT competencies should enhance firm performance by helping the implementation of requisite entrepreneurial and adaptive actions. Furthermore, we argue that the effects of the dual roles of IT competencies are moderated by multiple contingencies arising from environmental dynamism and other sources. We test our model and hypotheses through a latent class regression analysis on data from a sample of 109 business-to-business electronic marketplaces. The results provide support for the enabling and facilitating roles of IT competencies. Moreover, we find that these dual effects vary according to environmental dynamism. The results suggest that managers should account for (multiple) contingencies (observed and unobserved) while assessing the effects of IT competencies on organizational agility and firm performance.

DESIGN CAPITAL AND DESIGN MOVES: THE LOGIC OF DIGITAL BUSINESS STRATEGY. (MIS Quarterly, 2013)

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Authors:

Woodard, C. Jason; Ramasubbu, Narayan; Tschang, F. Ted; Sambamurthy, Vallabh;

Abstract:

As information technology becomes integral to the products and services in a growing range of industries, there has been a corresponding surge of interest in understanding how firms can effectively formulate and execute digital business strategies. This fusion of IT within the business environment gives rise to a strategic tension between investing in digital artifacts for long-term value creation and exploiting them for short-term value appropriation. Further, relentless innovation and competitive pressures dictate that firms continually adapt these artifacts to changing market and technological conditions, but sustained profitability requires scalable architectures that can serve a large customer base and stable interfaces that support integration across a diverse ecosystem of complementary offerings. The study of digital business strategy needs new concepts and methods to examine how these forces are managed in pursuit of competitive advantage. We conceptualize the logic of digital business strategy in terms of two constructs: design capital (i.e., the cumulative stock of designs owned or controlled by a firm) and design moves (i.e., the discrete strategic actions that enlarge, reduce, or modify a firm's stock of designs). We also identify two salient dimensions of design capital, namely, option value and technical debt. Using embedded case studies of four firms, we develop a rich conceptual model and testable propositions to lay out a design-based logic of digital business strategy. This logic highlights the interplay between design moves and design capital in the context of digital business strategy and contributes to a growing body of insights that link the design of digital artifacts to competitive strategy and firm-level performance.

How Peripheral Developers Contribute to Open-Source Software Development. (Information Systems Research, 2012)

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Authors:

Setia, Pankaj; Rajagopalan, Balaji; Sambamurthy, Vallabh; Calantone, Roger;

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Open-source software development is the next stage in the evolution of product development, particularly software products. Compared with the prevailing proprietary approaches, open-source software products are developed by co-opting external developers and prospective users. Although a core group of developers might still play a key role in the initial design and development, a notable aspect of the open-source software paradigm is the role of peripheral developers in the enhancement and popularization of the product. Peripheral developers are not formal members of the core development team. They voluntarily contribute their time and creative talent in improving the quality of the product or in popularizing the product through word-of-mouth advocacy. As volunteers, they are not subject to the traditional hierarchical controls, nor are they contractually obligated. Peripheral developers represent a novel and unique aspect of open-source software development, and there is a greater interest in tapping their potential. However, there has been limited evidence about how and when their participation has beneficial impacts. We examine how peripheral developers contribute to product quality and diffusion by utilizing longitudinal data on 147 open-source software products. Hierarchical linear modeling analysis indicates that peripheral developers make significant contributions to product quality and diffusion, especially on projects that are in the more mature stages of product development.

The Effects of Social Network Structure on Enterprise Systems Success: A Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis. (Information Systems Research, 2012)

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Authors:

Sasidharan, Sharath; Santhanam, Radhika; Brass, Daniel J.; Sambamurthy, Vallabh;

Abstract:

The implementation of enterprise systems has yielded mixed and unpredictable outcomes in organizations. Although the focus of prior research has been on training and individual self-efficacy as important enablers, we examine the roles that the social network structures of employees, and the organizational units where they work, play in influencing the postimplementation success. Data were gathered across several units within a large organization: immediately after the implementation, six months after the implementation, and one year after the implementation. Social network analysis was used to understand the effects of network structures, and hierarchical linear modeling was used to capture the multilevel effects at unit and individual levels. At the unit level of analysis, we found that centralized structures inhibit implementation success. At the individual level of analysis, employees with high in-degree and betweenness centrality reported high task impact and information quality. We also found a cross-level effect such that central employees in centralized units reported implementation success. This suggests that individual-level success can occur even within a unit structure that is detrimental to unit-level success. Our research has significant implications for the implementation of enterprise systems in large organizations.

EFFICIENCY OR INNOVATION: HOW DO INDUSTRY ENVIRONMENTS MODERATE THE EFFECTS OF FIRMS' IT ASSET PORTFOLIOS? (MIS Quarterly, 2012)

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Authors:

Xue, Ling; Ray, Gautam; Sambamurthy, Vallabh;

Abstract:

Firms invest in a variety of information technologies and seek to align their IT asset portfolios with two key performance outcomes: efficiency and innovation. Existing research makes the universalistic assumption that both outcomes will always be realized through firms' IT asset portfolios. There has been limited research on the conditions under which firms' IT asset portfolios should be oriented more toward efficiency or innovation.Here, we argue that the nature of the industry where a firm competes will have a significant moderating effect on the link between firms' IT asset portfolios and efficiency or innovation outcomes. Using panel data that covers a wide range of industry environments, we find that at lower levels of dynamism, munificence, and complexity, IT asset portfolios are associated with a greater increase in efficiency. In contrast, in envinronments with higher levels of complexity, IT asset portfolios are associated with a greater increase in innovation (i.e.,development of new products and processes, and exploration of growth opportunities). These results provide insights about how firms could realize strategic alignment by tailoring their IT asset portfolios toward an efficiency or innovation focus

HOW INFORMATION MANAGEMENT CAPABILITY INFLUENCES FIRM PERFORMANCE. (MIS Quarterly, 2011)

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Authors:

Mithas, Sunil; Ramasubbu, Narayan; Sambamurthy, Vallabh;

Abstract:

How do information technology capabilities contribute to firm performance? This study develops a conceptual model linking IT-enabled information management capability with three important organizational capabilities (customer management capability, process management capability, and performance management capability). We argue that these three capabilities mediate the relationship between information management capability and firm performance. We use a rare archival data set from a conglomerate business group that had adopted a model of performance excellence for organizational transformation based on the Baldrige criteria. This data set contains actual scores from high quality assessments of firms and intraorganizational units of the conglomerate, and hence provides unobtrusive measures of the key constructs to validate our conceptual model. We find that information management capability plays an important role in developing other firm capabilities for customer management, process management, and performance management. In turn, these capabilities favorably influence customer, financial, human resources, and organizational effectiveness measures of firm performance. Among key managerial implications, senior leaders must focus on creating necessary conditions for developing IT infrastructure and information management capability because they play a foundational role in building other capabilities for improved firm performance. The Baldrige model also needs some changes to more explicitly acknowledge the role and importance of information management capability so that senior leaders know where to begin in their journey toward business excellence.

THE EFFECTS OF DIGITAL TRADING PLATFORMS ON COMMODITY PRICES IN AGRICULTURAL SUPPLY CHAINS. (MIS Quarterly, 2011)

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Authors:

Banker, Rajiv; Mitra, Sabyasachi; Sambamurthy, Vallabh;

Abstract:

Digital platforms for buying and selling agricultural commodities have generated significant interest in the trade literature as a way to link rural communities to the Internet. Yet, the extent to which these digital platforms actually translate into higher commodity prices for producers remains an open research question. We investigate this question by comparing transaction data on trading various grades of coffee from a recently implemented digital platform in India with similar transactions from a physical commodity auction held weekly, and farm-gate prices in the coffee producing regions of India. Although the digital platform prices closely track the physical commodity auction prices, producers obtain significantly higher prices when they sell the commodity through the digital platform rather than at the farm-gate through brokers who operate in their regions. However, coffee grades with higher price volatility and premium coffee grades that require face-to-face interactions to verify quality obtain lower prices on the digital platform. Our results also indicate that market participants who control the transaction obtain better prices. We discuss the implications of our findings for governments and platform providers.

Competing in Crowded Markets: Multimarket Contact and the Nature of Competition in the Enterprise Systems Software Industry. (Information Systems Research, 2010)

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Authors:

Chellappa, Ramnath K.; Sambamurthy, Vallabh; Saraf, Nilesh;

Abstract:

As more and more firms seek to digitize their business processes and develop new digital capabilities, the enterprise systems software (ESS) has emerged as a significant industry. ESS firms offer software components (e.g., ERP, CRM, Marketing analytics) to shape their clients' digitization strategies. With rapid rates of technological and market innovation, the ESS industry consists of several horizontal markets that form around these components. As numerous vendors compete with each other within and across these markets, many of these horizontal markets appear to be crowded with rivals. In fact, multimarket contact and presence in crowded markets appear to be the pathways through which a majority of the ESS firms compete. Though the strategy literature has demonstrated the virtues of multimarket contact, paradoxically, the same literature argues that operating in crowded markets is not wise. In particular, crowded markets increase a firm's exposure to the whirlwinds of intense competition and have deleterious consequences for financial performance. Thus, the behavior of ESS firms raises an interesting anomaly and research question: Why do ESS firms continue to compete in crowded markets if they are deemed to be bad for financial performance? We argue that the effects of rivalry in crowded markets are counteracted by a different force, in the form of the economics of demand externalities. Demand externalities occur because the customers of ESS firms expect that software components from one market will be easily integrated with those that they buy from other markets. However, with rapid rates of technological innovation and market formation and dissolution, customers experience significant ambiguity in deciding which markets and components suit their needs. Therefore, they look at crowded markets as an important signal about the legitimacy and viability of specific components for their needs. Through their presence in crowded markets, ESS firms can signal their commitment to many of the components that customers might need for their digital platforms. Customers might find that such firms are attractive because their commitments to crowded markets can mitigate concerns about compatibilities between the components purchased across several markets. This unique potential for demand externality across markets suggests that ESS vendors might, in fact, benefit from competing in many crowded markets. We test our explanations through data across three time periods from a set of ESS firms that account for more than 95% of the revenue in this market. We find that ESS firms do reap performance benefits by competing in crowded markets. More importantly, we find that they can enhance their benefits from crowded markets if they face the same competitors in multiple markets, thereby increasing their multimarket contact with rivals. These results have interesting implications not just for understanding competitive conduct in the ESS industry but also in many of the emerging digital goods industries where the markets have similar competitive characteristics to the ESS industry. Our ideas complement emerging ideas about platform models of competition in the digital goods industry and provide important directions for future research.

Editorial Notes--The Growth of Interest in Services Management: Opportunities for Information Systems Scholars. (Information Systems Research, 2006)

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Authors:

Rai, Arun; Sambamurthy, Vallabh;

Abstract:

Across the global economy, we are witnessing a dramatic transformation toward a services economy. At the same time, advances in information technologies provide significant opportunities for digitization of services and the development of services management thinking within the information systems community. This note aims to stimulate attention toward the promising research and teaching opportunities for information systems scholars in the domain of digitized services innovation, management, and use.

SPECIAL ISSUE ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT. (MIS Quarterly, 2005)

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Authors:

Sambamurthy, Vallabh; Subramani, Mani;

Abstract:

This section introduces a series of articles related to information technology and knowledge management.

SHAPING AGILITY THROUGH DIGITAL OPTIONS: RECONCEPTUALIZING THE ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN CONTEMPORARY FIRMS. (MIS Quarterly, 2003)

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Authors:

Sambamurthy, Vallabh; Bharadwaj, Anandhi; Grover, Varun;

Abstract:

Agility is vital to the innovation and competitive performance of firms in contemporary business environments. Firms are increasingly relying on information technologies, including process, knowledge, and communication technologies, to enhance their agility. The purpose of this paper is to broaden understanding about the strategic role of IT by examining the nomological network of influences through which IT impacts firm performance. By drawing upon recent thinking in the strategy, entrepreneurship, and IT management literatures, this paper uses a multitheoretic lens to argue that information technology investments and capabilities influence firm performance through three significant organizational capabilities (agility, digital options, and entrepreneurial alertness) and strategic processes (capability-building, entrepreneurial action, and coevolutionary adaptation). We also propose that these dynamic capabilities and strategic processes impact the ability of firms to launch many and varied competitive actions and that, in turn, these competitive actions are a significant antecedent of firm performance. Through our theorizing, we draw attention to a significant and reframed role of IT as a digital options generator in contemporary firms.

SOURCES OF INFLUENCE ON BELIEFS ABOUT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY USE: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF KNOWLEDGE WORKERS. (MIS Quarterly, 2003)

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Authors:

Lewis, William; Agarwal, Ritu; Sambamurthy, Vallabh;

Abstract:

Individual beliefs about technology use have been shown to have a profound impact on subsequent behaviors toward information technology (IT). This research note builds upon and extends prior research examining factors that influence key individual beliefs about technology use. It is argued that individuals form beliefs about their use of information technologies within a broad milieu of influences emanating from the individual, institutional, and social contexts in which they interact with IT. We examine the simultaneous effects of these three sets of influences on beliefs about usefulness and ease of use in the context of a contemporary technology targeted at autonomous knowledge workers. Our findings suggest that beliefs about technology use can be influenced by top management commitment to new technology and the individual factors of personal innovativeness and self-efficacy. Surprisingly, social influences from multiple sources exhibited no significant effects. Theoretical and practical implications are offered.

The Shareholder-Wealth and Trading-Volume Effects of Information-Technology Infrastructure Investments. (Journal of Management Information Systems, 2002)

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Authors:

Chatterjee, Debabroto; Pacini, Carl; Sambamurthy, Vallabh;

Abstract:

Despite the rising tide of investments in information technologies (IT) infrastructures, empirical evidence about the effects of such investment moves is scarce. Stock market investors provide one appropriate perspective on the value-creation and growth potential of IT infrastructure investments through their reactions to specific IT infrastructure investment moves by business firms. This research utilizes the event-study analysis approach to examine if IT infrastructure investments are associated with significantly positive abnormal stock market returns and rises in trading volume when firms announce such investments. Drawing upon a sample of IT infrastructure announcements in the early 1990s, this research finds significant evidence that positive abnormal returns and increased trading volume are associated with IT infrastructure investment announcements. Further, when such investments are contrasted with investments in IT applications, evidence exists that infrastructure investments generate greater excess returns and a larger increase in trading volume than applications investments do. The evidence provides empirical support for the potential of IT infrastructure investments to be perceived as a platform for growth and revenue generation opportunities in contemporary business firms.

SHAPING UP FOR E-COMMERCE: INSTITUTIONAL ENABLERS OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL ASSIMILATION OF WEB TECHNOLOGIES. (MIS Quarterly, 2002)

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Authors:

Chatterjee, Debabroto; Grewal, Rajdeep; Sambamurthy, Vallabh;

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The global reach of the Web technological platform, along with the range of services that it supports, makes it a powerful business resource. However, realization of operational and strategic benefits is contingent on effective assimilation of this type III IS innovation. This paper draws upon institutional theory and the conceptual lens of structuring and metastructuring actions to explain the importance of three factors--top management championship, strategic investment rationale, and extent of coordination--in achieving higher levels of Web assimilation within an organization. Survey data are utilized to test a nomological network of relationships among these factors and the extent of organizational assimilation of Web technologies.

Research Commentary: The Organizing Logic for an Enterprise's IT Activities in the Digital Era--A Prognosis of Practice and a Call for Research. (Information Systems Research, 2000)

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Authors:

Sambamurthy, Vallabh; Zmud, Robert W.;

Abstract:

Prior research has generated considerable knowledge about the design of effective IT organizational architectures. Today, however, increasing signs have accumulated that this wisdom might be inadequate in shaping appropriate insights for contemporary practice. This essay seeks to direct research attention toward the following question: How should firms organize their IT activities in order to manage the imperatives of the business and technological environments in the digital economy? We articulate the platform logic as a conceptual framework for both viewing the organizing of IT management activities as well as for framing important questions for future research. In articulating this logic, we aim to shift thinking away from the traditional focus on governance structures (i.e., choice of centralized, decentralized, or federal forms) and sourcing structures (i.e., insourcing, outsourcing) and toward more complex structures that are reflective of contemporary practice. These structures are designed around important IT capabilities and network architectures.

Research Report: The Evolving Relationship Between General and Specific Computer Self-Efficacy--An Empirical Assessment. (Information Systems Research, 2000)

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Authors:

Agarwal, Ritu; Sambamurthy, Vallabh; Stair, Ralph M.;

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The concept of computer self-efficacy (CSE) recently has been proposed as important to the study of individual, behavior toward information technology. This paper extends current understanding about the concept of self-efficacy in the context of computer software. We describe how two broad types of computer self-efficacy beliefs, general self-efficacy and task- specific self-efficacy, are constructed across different computing tasks by suggesting that initial general CSE beliefs will strongly predict subsequent specific CSE beliefs. The theorized causal relationships illustrate the malleability and development of CSE beliefs over time, within a training environment where individuals are progressively provided with greater opportunity for hands-on experience and practice with different software. Consistent with the findings of prior research, judgments of self-efficacy then serve as key antecedents of the perceived cognitive effort (ease of use) associated with technology usage. Further, we theorize that self-efficacy judgments in the task domain of computing are strongly influenced by the extent to which individuals believe that they are personally innovative with respect to information technology. Panel data were collected using a longitudinal research design within a training context where 186 subjects were taught two software packages in a sequential manner over a 14-week period. The emergent patterns of the hypothesized relationships are examined using structural equation modeling techniques. Results largely support the relationships posited.

Information Technology Assimilation in Firms: The Influence of Senior Leadership and IT Infrastructures. (Information Systems Research, 1999)

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Authors:

Armstrong, Curtis P.; Sambamurthy, Vallabh;

Abstract:

IT assimilation is regarded as an important outcome in the efforts of firms to leverage the potential of information technologies in their business activities and strategies. Despite significant investments in information technology, considerable diversity exists in how well firms have been able to assimilate IT and leverage the business value of IT. This research draws upon the emerging knowledge-based and resource-based views of the firm to examine the influence of three factors on IT assimilation: (i) quality of senior leadership, (ii) sophistication of IT infrastructures, and (iii) organizational size. Drawing upon a large-scale sample survey where responses were obtained from CIOs and senior business executives who were members of the firms' top management teams, the study examines a variety of mostly normative prescriptions. The findings provide robust evidence about the impacts of CIOs' business and IT knowledge on IT assimilation. Further, we find that CIOs' membership in top management teams and their informal interactions with TMT members enhance their knowledge, particularly their business knowledge. We find that the intensity of the relationship between CIO's interactions with the top management team and their level of IT and business knowledge is much stronger in firms that articulate a transformational IT vision. The sophistication of IT infrastructures was also found to significantly impact IT assimilation. Surprisingly, the IT knowledge of senior business executives was not found to be a significant influence on IT assimilation. The implications of these findings for evolving a deeper understanding of the dynamics underlying IT assimilation are presented.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GOVERNANCE: A THEORY OF MULTIPLE CONTINGENCIES. (MIS Quarterly, 1999)

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Authors:

Sambamurthy, Vallabh; Zmud, Robert W.;

Abstract:

This article presents an executive overview of the article "Arrangements for Information Technology Governance: A Theory of Multiple Contingencies," by V. Sambamurthy and Robert W. Zmud.

Building Change-Readiness Capabilities in the IS Organization: Insights From the Bell Atlantic Experience. (MIS Quarterly, 1997)

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Authors:

Clark, Charles E.; Cavanaugh, Nancy C.; Brown, Carol V.; Sambamurthy, Vallabh;

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Change-readiness is the ability of an information systems (IS) organization to deliver strategic IT applications within short development cycle times by utilizing a highly skilled internal IS workforce. This paper examines two important questions: What are the design elements of a change-ready IS organization? How can transformations to such designs be effectively managed? Insights to these questions are generated through a case study of the conceptualization and implementation of an innovative organization design within a large IS unit at Bell Atlantic, a Regional Bell Operating Company. First, a rich description is provided of the components (strategy, structure, processes, people skills, reward systems) of a centers of excellence (CoE) design that has yielded measurable gains in IS performance. Then, an analysis of the two-year implementation of this CoE design is provided in terms of anticipated and unanticipated change actions, as well as a summary of "lessons learned." The conclusion describes the design as a model worthy of consideration by other IS managers for developing change-readiness IT capabilities. Comparisons with other models for the IS organization are then drawn.

The Effects of Variations in Capabilities of GDSS Designs on Management of Cognitive Conflict in Groups. (Information Systems Research, 1992)

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Authors:

Sambamurthy, Vallabh; Poole, Marshall Scott;

Abstract:

Group decision support systems have been advocated as mechanisms for facilitating conflict management in groups. Two noted shortcomings of research on GDSS effects motivate this study: (i) Most researchers have compared the effects of computer-based and manual delivery of structures for supporting group decision making. By treating the GDSS as a "black box," researchers have neglected attention toward examining the effects of specific capabilities delivered by a GDSS. (ii) Despite the volume of accumulated research, scant attention has been paid to examining GDSS impacts on the group interaction process itself. This research proposes a conceptual view of a GDSS as providing communication and consensus capabilities for supporting the cognitive conflict management process in group decision making. Through a manipulation of the delivery of communication and consensus structures to groups working on a strategic planning task, several exploratory research questions were examined. The GDSS used in this study was the SAMM system. Key results obtained were: (a) despite using the same GDSS structures, groups exhibited a variety of patterns of conflict management processes; (b) the delivery of communication and consensus structures together, as opposed to primarily communication structures, however, did result in higher confrontiveness, or the ability of groups to confront their conflicts and resolve them in positive ways; (c) higher confrontiveness resulted in higher levels of post-meeting consensus; and, (d) computerization of structures enabled groups to confront their conflict and resolve it more positively than when groups were provided with equivalent manual structures. The results demonstrate the value of process-oriented methodological approaches to investigating effects of GDSS designs.