How to avoid misusing electronic meeting support

Group problem solving drives many initiatives that support innovative strategic management. Tools or methodologies that improve group processes—such as Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) or Electronic Meeting Systems (EMS)—deserve close inspection. However, companies considering installing EMS/GDSS should be aware that such facilities can be expensive, their benefits are not always clear, and as the following case shows, they can even have highly undesirable effects.