A framework for the classification of DSS usage across organizations

The research project reported in this paper constitutes an attempt to build upon existing research in the decision support system (DSS) area, namely the well-known framework for DSS developed by Gorry and Scott Morton. The authors put forward a revised framework which researchers in the field can use to classify DSS applications meaningfully and make comparisons across large samples of systems and organizations. The findings of a three year action research study were used to develop a framework for the classification of DSS usage which was then tested empirically. The organizations studied were classified based on the extent to which they used DSS for different decision situations using two specific measurements: DSS spread and DSS complexity. The results obtained suggest that the framework which was developed in this research is a useful vehicle for categorizing the degree of maturity of organizations regarding their usage and development of actual DSS applications.