Abstract

A sample of 171 college students was selected, with each participant randomly assigned to one of three treatments. Groups of 3 to 5 students were formed. Each group, using group support system (GSS) software, creativity support system (CSS) software, or no computer software (NCS) support, was asked to propose an innovative information system idea. Participants then rated the method used for idea generation on four measures: usefulness, difficulty, enjoyment, and overall satisfaction. The results indicated that using GSS software is viewed by users as being more useful, less difficult, more enjoyable, and more satisfying overall for idea generation than not using computers at all. Moreover, GSS software resulted in better ratings than CSS software on three of the above measures — usefulness, difficulty, and overall satisfaction, and the two methods were statistically equivalent with regard to enjoyment. The practical managerial implication of this study is that GSS is the support tool of choice for idea generation.

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