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Designing a Multi-Criteria Group Support System (MCGSS) Using Internet Technology
Abstract
Group Support Systems (GSS) offer potentially new ways for groups to work together, but most reported usage is still for systems that simply supplement face-to-face meetings. In a recent survey of GSS research (Fjermestad & Hiltz, 1998), the systems most frequently studied are quite unlike those needed by many organizations. Organizations are increasingly global and contain “virtual” components. Previous research has generally occurred in Decision Room environments using LANs, but the Internet enables the system to run asynchronously. However, only about 10% of research has studied asynchronous meetings. The GSS must support larger groups with global participations and richer inputs. But 80% of past research limited group size to 10 or fewer. The decisions they support are often complex, requiring many types of expertise and taking considerable time for deliberations. But over half of past studies were limited to one hour or less. Standard graphical interfaces that easier to use but most used older text-based models. Most groups studied had no leader or facilitator. Finally, most studies have used GSS that permitted only simple voting procedures (i.e., a majority rule) or none at all. (Some tasks involved allocation of funds to projects and thus permitted a limited form of proportional voting.) But these voting mechanisms are insufficient to adequately capture everyone’s position with larger groups and complex issues.
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