The Intellectual Development and Structure of Decision Support Systems

Abstract This study extends an earlier benchmark study which examined the intellectual structure, major themes and reference disciplines of decision support systems (DSS) over the last two decades (1970–1990). Factor analysis of an author cocitation matrix over the period 1991 through 1995 extracted five major areas of DSS research (group DSS, model management, implementation, design and an unnamed factor) and three contributing disciplines (cognitive science, organizational science and multiple criteria decision making). The DSS area has undergone profound structural changes over the past five years (1991–1995) and made meaningful progress over the past two and a half decades. It is in the process of solidifying its domain and demarcating its reference disciplines. We have highlighted several notable trends and developments in the DSS research areas.

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