Gender and DSS design: the research implications

Although decisions and decision-making lie at the heart of decision support system (DSS) research, certain aspects of human decision-making have been neglected by DSS builders. One of these is the role of gender in decision-making. Decision support systems are constructed largely upon the assumption of an androgynous user, but, clearly, if males and females take decisions in different ways or prefer different styles of information, then their use of DSS may differ. This may have important organisational implications, especially as women ascend the corporate ladder. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the literature on gender differences and to highlight explicitly the role of this literature in DSS design. It is hoped that, by raising dormant questions, the debate may be stimulated. Finally, a research agenda is suggested.