The implications of group support technologies: an evaluation of the emipirical research

Abstract

The authors define and differentiate two broad technological support systems for group processes: group decision support systems (GDSS), and group communication support systems (GCSS). They present a framework and method for analyzing the impact of such information systems on groups. They develop the framework from the literature of organization behavior and group psychology and apply it to the literature of management information systems. The authors review and compare empirical research and findings concerned with the impact of GDSS and GCSS on groups. Five major implications stem from the analysis: (a) there is a lack of research on some important formal aspects of groups; (b) there is a paucity of research on the impacts of GDSS and GCSS on the informal dimension of groups; (c) there is a need to move away from laboratory settings to field study in organization settings; (d) more research is needed on the stages in group development and how they affect the impact of GDSS and GCSS; and (e) more research is needed to understand how the structure imposed by the technological supports affect group processes.<>