Abstract
Previous research on Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) and its impacts have predominantly adopted a "black box" approach in that variations in the GDSS design or decision settings have been manipulated and their effects on decision quality, efficiency, or decision maker’s attitudes observed. The approach has yielded mixed results and even after a decade of research on the effects of GDSS on decisional outcomes, there is limited understanding of the real impact of GDSS on group decisions. In this study, an additional step based on the Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST) is applied to explain the ‘why’ and ‘how’ rather than the ‘what’ and ‘when’ of GDSS usage in group decision process and decisional outcome. In particular, a process-oriented approach is used to examine decisional outcomes from a GDSS enriched with embedded decisional guidance. In addition to the theoretical contribution towards understanding the process of GDSS usage, the study has important implications for practitioners. It identifies the need to tailor training and decisional guidance in a manner that promotes faithful appropriation of the structure and spirit of the GDSS, thereby leading to better decision process and decisional outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Limayem, Moez; Banerjee, Probir; and Ma, Louis, "Impact of GDSS: Opening the Black Box" (2002). PACIS 2002 Proceedings. 8.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2002/8