Examining the conflicting results of GDSS research

Abstract

The growing interest in group decision support systems (GDSS) was supported by, and gave rise to, a burgeoning academic literature on GDSS during the 1980s. However, GDSS research is now rare. One possible reason is the difference between field experience and many experimental studies. Another reason is that GDSS research over the past years mainly focused on decision rooms. The important question posed is: what are the reasons for the conflicting results of GDSS research? The contradictory findings among GDSS studies are indeed a problem if academic research is to be applied effectively in business settings. Now that group collaborative support is becoming more widespread, it is natural to wish to achieve a better understanding of the implications for organizations in their adoption of GDSS. Thus, this study systematically reviews existing GDSS studies and explores the probable reasons for inconsistent findings.