Interactive versus stand-alone Group Decision Support Systems for stakeholder identification and assumption surfacing in small groups

As evidence that Group Decision Support Systems can be seen to be beneficial, it becomes increasingly important to investigate the effect of differential GDSS designs on decision making processes. This study investigated the effect of a GDSS based on the Strategic Assumption Surfacing and Testing model for strategic planning impact analysis. A controlled laboratory experiment compared the results of 4-person groups that had either Stand-Alone GDSS support (one personal computer per group) or Interactive GDSS support (4 networked personal computers per group). Measures were taken on decision outcomes (quality, time and satisfaction with the outcomes) and decision process variables (quantity of unique alternatives, distribution of individual participation, and satisfaction with the process). The authors found that the interactive GDSS groups generated a higher number of unqiue ideas and had more even participation rates. However they were less satisfied with both the process and the outcomes. The authors also found no significant difference between the groups in terms of decision quality and decision time.