Group support systems in practice: experience at IBM

Abstract

The authors present the results of a group support system field study conducted at an IBM site. Data collected included session pre- and postquestionnaires and facilitator observations plus follow-up interviews with managers and participants. Process and outcome effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction were consistently higher with group support systems. A comparison of man-hours expended showed a 56% savings attributable to group support system use. The results of this field study contradict some laboratory experiment findings and support others. Directions for future field and experimental research to solve apparent differences and provide further clarification are identified.<>