Unit – 1

Group Decion Support Systems

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 Introduction
• The term was coined by Peter and Trudy Johnson-Lenz in October
4, 1978..
• "Groupware is often used to specifically denote the
technology that people use to work together, whereas CSCW
refers to the field that studies the use of that technology."
Tom Brinck
• Concept: A class of software that helps groups of colleagues
(workgroups) attached to a local-area network organize their
activities.
 What is a Group ?
• refers to two or more (usually up to about twenty-five)
individuals whose mission is to perform some task and
who act as one unit

Collection of individuals in which behavior and/or

performance of one member is influenced by behavior
and/or performance of other members. (Gibson, 1991)

• can be permanent or temporary

• in one location or in several locations
• can meet concurrently or at different time
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 Benefits of Groups
• better than individuals at understanding
problems
• people are accountable for decisions that they
participate in
• better at catching errors
• has more information (knowledge) than any
one member
– more alternatives ==> better solutions

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 Benefits of Groups

• synergy may be produced

• working in group may stimulate the
participants and the process (cross-
fertilization)
• committed to the implementation

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 Problems with Groups
• “groupthink” -- social pressures to conform
– people begin to think alike and new ideas are not tolerated
• time-consuming, slow process
• problems in coordination/poor planning
• group dynamics
– free-riders
– fear to speak
– Domination
• compromised solutions of poor quality

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 Problems with Groups
• nonproductive time
– socializing
– getting ready
– waiting for people
• tendency to repeat what already was said
• cost (time, money, energy)
• make riskier decisions than they should/more extreme
(one way or the other)
• incomplete or inappropriate use of information
• inappropriate representation in the group
• size
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 New work arrangements
Virtual offices
–Telework / Telecommuting
–Hotdesking / Hoteling
–Home workers
–Mobile work
Virtual groups
–Virtual fixed teams
–Virtual mobile teams
–Virtual communities

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 Developments in work settings

• Many modern organisations are “networking

organisations”.
– Many problems/tasks require people with different skills and experiences
– Workforces are more distributed, and organizations are becoming more
“virtual”
– Much work is done in groups
– Groups often work inefficient
• Dispersed cooperation is possible, but to make such
teams effective, knowledge is needed about:
– the functioning of groups in general,
– virtual groups, and
– the possibilities of ICT support

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 Virtual teams
So: Virtual teams have advantages
But: Virtual teams have also problems:
– Interpersonal communication is more difficult : No non-
verbal signals; no unplanned encounters; no context
awareness
– And therefore : Difficulty in all kinds of group processes:
collaboration, coordination, developing trust, exchanging
knowledge

– ICT tools have to match with the type of group and its task;
And they have to be supportive for the group processes

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 Global virtual teams
GVT’s have even more problems:
• Time zone differences
• Language differences \ Cultural differences

Research suggests:
In individualistic cultures (EU, USA) people prefer direct
expression of opinions; In virtual groups they prefer
synchronous communication, through telephone,
video and chat.
In collectivist cultures (Asia, Africa) people are sensitive
to non-verbal signals and group relations. In virtual
groups people prefer asynchronous communication, to
be able to express themselves more carefully: e-mail
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 Group Decision Support Systems
(GDSS)
• a DSS whose design, structure, and usage reflect the way in
which people cooperate to make a particular decision or type
of decision

• an interactive, computer-based system which facilitates the

solution of unstructured problems by a set of decision makers
working together as a group

• consisting of a set of software, hardware, language

components, and procedures that support a group of people
engaged in a decision-related meeting

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 Group Decision Support
Systems (GDSS)
• Group Support Systems (GSS)
• Electronic Meeting Systems
• Collaborative Computing

• Evolved as information technology researchers recognized that

technology could be developed for supporting meeting
activities
– Idea generation
– Consensus building
– Anonymous ranking
– Voting, etc.
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 Definitions
• Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) - An
interactive, computer-based system that facilitates
solution of unstructured problems by a set of
decision-makers working together as a group. It aids
groups, especially groups of managers, in analyzing
problem situations and in performing group decision
making tasks.

• Group Support Systems has come to mean computer

software and hardware used to support group
functions and processes.
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 Definitions
• CSCW is an acronym for Computer Supported Cooperative
Work. It is the scientific discipline that motivates and validates
groupware design. CSCW is technology independent which
means technology is not the major driving force behind the
discipline. Instead, CSCW is socially dependent. It looks at the
way people interact and collaborate with each other, and
attempts to develop guidelines for developing technology to
assist in the communication process.

• Groupware is the hardware and software which supports and

augments group work. Groupware applications are not meant to
replace people in an interactive situation.

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 Decision Making
in Groups
Some fundamentals of group decision
making
1. Groups
2. The Nature of Group Decision Making
a) Meetings are a joint activity
b) The outcome of the meeting depends on its
participants.
c) The outcome of the meeting depends on the
composition of the groups
d) The outcome of the meeting depends on the decision-
making process
e) Differences in opinion are settled either by the leader
or negotiation or arbitration
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 Potential Benefits of Working in a Group

 Groups are better than individuals at understanding problems.

 People are accountable for decisions in which they participate.
 Groups are better than individuals at catching errors.
 A group has more information (knowledge) than any one member. Groups
can combine that knowledge and create new knowledge. As a result, there
are more alternatives for problem solving, and better solutions can be
derived.
 Synergy during problem solving may be produced.
 Working in a group may stimulate the participants and the process.
 Group members will have their egos embedded in the decision, so they will
be committed to the solution.
 Risk propensity is balanced. Groups moderate high-risk takers and
encourage conservatives.

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 Potential Dysfunctions of Group Process (Process Losses)

 Social pressures of conformity that may result in "groupthink" (where

people begin to think alike, and where new ideas are not tolerated)
 Time-consuming, slow process (only one group member can speak at a
time)
 Lack of coordination of the work done by the group and poor planning of
meetings
 Inappropriate influence (e.g., domination of time, topic, or opinion by one
or few individuals; fear of speaking)
 Tendency of group members to rely on others to do most of the work
 Tendency toward compromised solutions of poor quality
 Incomplete task analysis
 Nonproductive time (socializing, getting ready, waiting for people)
 Tendency to repeat what already was said
 Large cost of making decisions (many hours of participation, travel
expenses, etc.)
 Tendency of groups to make riskier decisions than they should
 Incomplete or inappropriate use of information
 Inappropriate representation in the group

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 Similarities Between GDSS and DSS

• Both use models, data and user-friendly software

• Both are interactive with “what-if” capabilities
• Both use internal and external data
• Both allow the decision maker to take an active
role
• Both have flexible systems
• Both have graphical output

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 Why Use GDSS?
• High level managers can spend 80% of their time making
decisions in groups. Applied correctly, GDSS can reduce
this time, arriving at a better decision faster.
• GDSS provides the hardware, software, databases and
procedures for effective decision making.

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 Quality Team Roles and Responsibilities Decision Support Needs

Members: Access to group problem-

 Identify problems solving techniques
 Generate and evaluate ideas Methods for encouraging
 Develop and implement open participation by all
solutions members
Leader: Efficient use of team
 Plans meetings meeting time (for example,
 Coordinates team activities agenda management)
 Monitors and reports team Documentation of team
progress decision-making processes
and outputs
Facilitator:
 Promotes use of problem-
solving techniques
 Encourages consensus
building
 Serves as a liaison between
team and quality steering
committee
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 The Nominal Group Technique
(NGT)
(Delbec and Van de Ven)
• NGT Sequence of activities
1. Silent generation of ideas in writing
2. Round-robin listing of ideas on a chart
3. Serial discussion of ideas
4. Silent listing and ranking of priorities
5. Discussion of priorities
6. Silent re-ranking and rating of priorities
• Procedure is superior to conventional discussion groups in
terms of generating higher quality, greater quantity, and
improved distribution of information on fact-finding tasks
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 • NGT success depends on
– Facilitator quality
– Participants’ Training
• NGT does not solve several process losses
– Fearing to speak
– Poor planning
– Poor meeting organization
– Compromises
– Lack of appropriate analysis

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 The Delphi Method
• (RAND Corporation)
• Goal - To eliminate undesirable
effects of interaction among group
members
• Experts do not meet face-to-face

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 Delphi Method Steps
1. Each expert provide an individually written
assignment or opinion
2. Delphi coordinator edits, clarifies and
summarizes the raw data
3. Provide anonymous feedback to all experts
4. Second round of issues or questions
5. Etc. Get more specific in each iteration, leading
to consensus or deadlock

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 Delphi Method Benefits
• Anonymity
• Multiple Opinions
• Group Communication

• Plus, Avoids
– Dominant Behavior
– Groupthink
– Stubbornness

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 Delphi Method Limitations

• Slow
• Expensive
• Usually limited to one issue at a time

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 Time/Place Framework
• Time
– synchronous
– asynchronous
• Place
– same place
– different place

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 Time/Place Framework
• Same Time/Same Place
– decision room
• Same Time/Different Place
– telephone conferencing, video conferencing
• Different Time/Same Place
– project/team rooms, shared offices
• Different Time/Different Place
– email, workflow management systems

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 Important Characteristics
of a GDSS
• Specially Designed IS
• Goal of Supporting Groups of Decision
Makers
• Easy to Learn and Use
• May be designed for one type of problem
or for many organizational decisions
• Designed to encourage group activities
• Attempts to minimize process losses
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 Characteristics of GDSS
• Special Design
• Ease of use
• Specific and general support
• Suppressing negative group behavior
• Supporting positive group behavior

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 Typical GDSS Meeting
Characteristics
• Organizational commitment/support
• Trained facilitators or may be user driven
• User training
• Anonymity
• Appropriate tasks
• Dedicated decision rooms

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 GDSS Time/Place Environment

Same-Time Same-Time
Same-Place Different-Place
(Most widely used GDSS-
(team room, tools, audio
computers with projectors, voting
conferencing, screen sharing, chat)
tools)

Different-Time Different-Time
Same-Place Different-Place
(audio/video conferencing,
(voice mail, email, bulletin boards)
document sharing)
 Advantages of GDSS
• Anonymity – drive out fear leading to better decisions
from a diverse hierarchy of decision makers
• Parallel Communication – eliminate monopolizing
providing increased participation, better decisions
• Automated record keeping – no need to take notes,
they’re automatically recorded
• Ability for virtual meetings – only need hardware,
software and people connected
• Portability - Can be set up to be portable… laptop
• Global Potential - People can be connected across the
world
• No need for a computer guru – although some basic
experience is a must
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 Disadvantages of GDSS
• Cost –infrastructure costs to provide the hardware and
software/room/network connectivity can be very
expensive
• Security – especially true when companies rent the
facilities for GDSS; also, the facilitator may be a lower-level
employee who may leak information to peers
• Technical Failure – power loss, loss of connectivity, relies
heavily on bandwidth and LAN/WAN infrastructure –
properly setup system should minimize this risk
• Keyboarding Skills – reduced participation may result due
to frustration
• Training – learning curve is present for users, varies by
situation
• Perception of messages – lack of verbal communication
could lead to misinterpretation
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 Typical GDSS Process
1) Group Leader (and Facilitator?) select software, develop
agenda
2) Participants meet (in decision room/Internet) and are
given a task.
3) Participants generate ideas – brainstorm anonymously
4) Facilitator organize ideas into categories (different for
user-driven software)
5) Discussion and prioritization – may involve ranking by
some criteria and/or rating to the facilitators scale
6) Repeat Steps 3, 4, 5 as necessary
7) Reach decision
8) Recommend providing feedback on decision and results
to all involved

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 GDSS: Part of GSS or
Electronic Meeting Systems
(EMS)

“An information technology (IT)-based environment that supports

group meetings, which may be distributed geographically and
temporally. The IT environment includes, but is not limited to,
distributed facilities, computer hardware and software, audio and
video technology, procedures, methodologies, facilitation, and
applicable group data. Group tasks include, but are not limited
to, communication, planning, idea generation, problem solving,
issue discussion, negotiation, conflict resolution, system
analysis and design, and collaborative group activities such as
document preparation and sharing (p. 593, Dennis et al., 1988).

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 GDSS Settings

• Single Location
• Multiple Locations

• Common Group Activities

– Information Retrieval
– Information Sharing
– Information Use

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 Three Levels of GDSS Support

• Based on DeSanctis and Gallupe

– Level 1: Process Support
– Level 2: Decision-making Support
– Level 3: Rules of order

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 Level 1: Process Support
• support the basic communication process
between participants
– electronic messaging
– network linking the PCs
– public screen
– anonymous input of votes and ideas
– solicitation of ideas or votes
– summary and display of ideas and opinions
– format for an agenda

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 Level 2: Decision-Making Support
• decision modeling and group decision
techniques aimed at reducing uncertainty
and ‘noise’ that occur in the group decision
process
• adds capabilities for modeling and decision
analysis
– planning and financial models
– decision trees
– probability assessment models
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– resource allocation models
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 Level 3: Rules of Order
• characterized by machine-induced group
communication patterns
• control the pattern, timing, or content of
information exchange
• special software containing rules of order is
added
– rules determining the sequence of speaking, the
appropriate response, or voting rules

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 GDSS Technology

• GDSS Technology Options

1. Special-purpose electronic meeting facility
(decision room)
2. General purpose computer lab
3. Web (Internet) / Intranet or LAN-based
software for any place / any time
• Components
– Hardware
– Software
– People
– Procedures

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 GDSS Hardware

1. Single PC
2. PCs and Keypads
3. Decision Room
4. Distributed GDSS

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 GDSS Software

• Modules to support the individual, the

group, the process and specific tasks
• Typical Group Features
– Numerical / graphical summarization of ideas,
and votes
– Programs calculating weights for alternatives;
anonymous idea recording; selection of a
group leader; progressive rounds of voting; or
elimination of redundant input
– Text and data transmission among the group
members, between the group members and the
facilitator, and between the members and a
central data / document repository.
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 People

• Group Members
• Facilitator (Chauffeur)

• Procedures (that enable ease of

operation and effective use of the
technology)

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 The Decision
(Electronic Meeting) Room

• 12 to 30 networked personal computers

• Usually recessed
• Server PC
• Large-screen projection system
• Breakout rooms
• Need a Trained Facilitator for Success

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 Why Few Organizations
Use Decision Rooms
– High Cost
– Need for a Trained Facilitator
– Software Support for Conflict Issues,
NOT Cooperative Tasks
– Infrequent Use
– Different Place / Different Time Needs
– May Need More Than One

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 GDSS Software
• Comprehensive GDSS Software
– .GroupSystems for Windows (Ventana Corp.)
– .VisionQuest (Collaborative Technologies Corp.)
– .TeamFocus (IBM Corp.)
– .SAMM (University of Minnesota)
– .Lotus Domino / Notes (Lotus Development Corp.)
– .Netscape Communicator (Netscape
Communications Corp.)
• Emerging Web-Based GDSS
– .TCBWorks (The University of Georgia)
(http://tcbworks.cba.uga.edu:8080)

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 Advanced Tools
1. Alternative Analysis
2. Survey
3. Activity Modeler

Other Resources
• People
• Whiteboard
• Handouts
• Opinion Meter
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 Individual Resources

• Briefcase (Commonly Used

Applications)
• Personal Log
• Event Monitor

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 Internet-Based GDSS
• Many new GDSS are Web-based
– e.g., TCBWorks (October 10, 1995)
• Sample of Web-based GDSS
– TCBWorks
– Lotus Domino/Notes
– Netscape Communicator
– BrainWeb
– InterAction: A Web-based Collaboration Tool
• End of 1996, over 75 Web-based groupware
systems
– See Groupware Central
• More developments on Web-based GDSS
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 (More) Complete List of Web-based GDSS Software

A representative sample of Web-based GDSS software is on the Book Web page

(http://www.prenhall.com/) They include:

 TCBWorks: Webware for Teams (from Alan Dennis at The University of

Georgia, Athens, GA; http://tcbworks.cba.uga.edu:8080)
 Lotus Domino/Notes (from Lotus Development Corp., Cambridge, MA;
http://www.lotus.com)
 Netscape Communicator (from Netscape Communications Corp.,
Mountain View, CA; http://www.netscape.com/)
 CONSENSUS @nyWARE (from Group Decision Support Systems, Inc.,
Washington, DC; http://www.softbicycle.com/)
 Beacon Interactive Systems (from Beacon Interactive Systems,
Cambridge, MA; http://www.beaconis.com/)
 Webthing (from Nick Kew; http://potox.com/~webthing)
 Sound IDEAS (from New Star Technologies, Inc., Chesterfield, MO;
http://www.newstartech.com)
 BrainWeb (from the faculty of Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis and
Management at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands;
http://www.sepa.tudelft.nl/~gdr/brainweb/bw0.html)
 Electronic Meeting Space: College Town (a virtual meeting space from the
Association for Computing Machinery: ACM)
 BSCW: Basic Support for Cooperative Work on the World-Wide-Web
(from the Institute for Applied Information Technology, German
National Research Centre for Information Technology,
Richard.Bentley@gmd.de).
 InterAction: A Web-based Collaboration Tool (from J. Valacich and L.
12/29/2018 Jessup, University of Indiana;
MS-204 BIAhttp://www.indiana.edu/~iudis/). 53
 Format of a GDSS Meeting
• Idea Generation/Electronic Brainstorming
– what are the problems with MSU parking ?
• Idea Organization
– organized the ideas into a list of key issues
• Voting/Ranking
– which are most important ?
• Idea Generation
– who can do the tasks ?

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 The GDSS
Meeting Process
1. Group leader meets with facilitator to
– Plan the meeting
– Select the software tools
– Develop an agenda
2. Participants are gathered in the decision room and the
leader poses a question or problem to the group.
3. Participants type their ideas or comments
4. Facilitator searches for common themes, topics, and ideas
and organizes them into rough categories (key ideas)
5. Leader starts a discussion and participants prioritize the
ideas
6. Top 5 to 10 topics are routed to idea generation software,
after discussion
7. Repeat the process
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 The Goal of GDSS and
Its Technology Levels
• Goal - to improve the productivity and
effectiveness of decision-making meetings,
either
– by speeding up the decision-making
process or
– by improving the quality of the resulting
decisions
– by removing the problems of group

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 Benefits of GDSS
• supports parallel generation of ideas
• supports larger groups
• rapid and easy access to external information
• parallel computer discussion
• anonymous input
• automatic documentation of the group
meetings

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Examples of GDSS taken directly from http://cicero.com
1) “One example of implementation of GDSS is at IBM. They, as well as many other corporations, initiated GDSS to
improve group meetings. A specific case involved a plant manager not being able to identify the cause of problems
with shop floor control. After having a meeting for two hours with plant personnel all that resulted were arguments and
bad feelings.
So after meeting with the company's GDSS facilitator, the manager decided to have ten plant employees, himself, and
two junior analysts participate in a GDSS program. They would use electronic brainstorming and voting to resolve the
shop floor control problem.
The manager and the facilitator decided the topic would be "What are the key issues in improving shop floor control?"
After brainstorming for 35 minutes and compiling 645 lines of suggestions, ideas and comments on how to improve
shop floor control, the manager found that he had gotten useful information about the issue for the first time.
A list was compiled of the comments and then the members of the group ranked them in order of importance. The
results were displayed and a discussion occurred for ten minutes. The manager thanked the participants and was given
a printout of all the discussion and results of the group vote (Aiken 3).”
2) “Another example is Hewlett-Packard. Their human-factors engineers work at locations all over the world. And they
meet in person only once a year. The rest of the time, they have frequent, ongoing meetings to discuss professional and
company issues. But they have these discussions through an electronic conference and final decision making is done
with the aid of GDSS (Sproull 121).”

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 Constructing a GDSS and the
Determinants of Its Success

• Constructing a GDSS
1. Construct (or Rent) a Decision Room
2. Acquire Software
3. Develop Procedures
4. Train a Facilitator
5. Put It All Together
• Can
– Use Someone Else's Facility
– Rent One
– Use a Dual Purpose Computer Lab

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 Determinants of GDSS
Success for a Decision
Room Setting
• Same Time/Same Place Meetings
• Trained Facilitator
• Support
• Participants’ Training

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 More on Critical Success
Factors for GDSS
1. Design
a) Enhance the structuredness of
unstructured decisions
b) Anonymity
c) Organizational involvement
d) Ergonomic considerations

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 2. Implementation
a) Extensive and proper user training
b) Support of top management
c) Qualified facilitator.
d) Execute trial runs
3. Management
a) Reliable system
b) Incrementally improve system
c) GDSS staff keeps up with technology
User involvement and participants’
behavior are also important factors
Building Decision Rooms Using Off-the-
Shelf Software

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 Future Implications of GDSS
• Integrating into existing corporate framework
– GDSS brings changes which must be managed
• GDSS will incorporate Artificial Intelligence and Expert
Systems – the software will “learn” and help the users
make better decisions
• Decreasing cost will allow more organizations to use
GDSS
• Increasing implementation of GDSS with the customer
– Customer voice their needs in non-threatening
environment

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 Future Implications of GDSS
• GDSS may play a large role in the future of the virtual
companies
• GDSS can help the virtual companies do business in the
global business environment
• GDSS can help promote a culturally diverse work
environment
• Telework seems to make a lot of sense using GDSS

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 Choosing The Right GDSS
• Consider the following;
– Decision Task Type
– Group Size
– Location of members of the group

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 Available Software
• TeamWave Software - Workplace Screen Shots – Cool Demo

• Group Systems offers a collection of software tools to support

group activities such as brainstorming, information gathering,
idea organization, voting, preference aggregation, and
consensus building. In addition to these tools, there are
supplementary resources which aid the project teams in the
course of the GDSS session. Two of these resources are 1)
Opinion Meter, which helps you gauge group opinion on an
informal basis; and 2) Handouts, which allow the group leader
to post files on other relevant information to support the
team.

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 Summary
• Many benefits to work groups, but many process losses
• Delphi method and the Nominal Group Technique (NGT)
• Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS), Group Support
Systems (GSS), electronic meeting systems (EMS),
computer-supported cooperative work, collaborative
computing, groupware, etc. - various computer support
for groups
• GDSS attempts to reduce process losses and increase
process gains
• GDSS over the Internet and Intranets, anytime/anyplace
• Group DSS over a LAN in a decision room environment

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 • Idea generation, idea organization,
stakeholder identification, topic
commentator, voting, policy formulation,
enterprise analysis and negotiation
support system
• NSS can aid in resolving conflicts in groups
• GDSS can fail
• GDSS research is very diverse
• Web-based group-ware for
anytime/anyplace collaboration
• The Internet and Intranets - major role in
distributed GDSS

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