A survey of group decision support system use

A growing number of universities are conducting research in the area of Group Decision Support Systems (also called Groupware, Computer Supported Cooperative Work, and Electronic Meeting Systems). Many studies have investigated the effect of technology, anonymity, leadership, group size, and many other factors on productivity and group satisfaction (see Nunamaker, et al., 1991 for a good review of this research). Only a few case and field studies have been conducted describing experiences with these systems, however, and these often have looked at only one organization at a time (see Nunamaker, et al., 1988, for example). A broader view of Group Decision Support System (GDSS) use is necessary in order to gain a better understanding of the current role of such systems for group meeting support. Butterfield, et at. (1992) and Straub and Beauclair (1988) have described how organizations are currently using GDSS technology. This paper extends these results by presenting an analysis of 60 organizations in 69 GDSS sessions over three years. Data were derived from group facilitator synopses prepared after each session using a specific GDSS (Ventana Corporation's GroupSystems) at the University of Arizona's electronic meeting rooms (Aiken, et al., 1990). Results show that a few tools accounted for the majority of usage, group sizes averaged approximately 16 people, and most sessions lasted fewer than five hours.