Information and Decision Support Systems - Principles of Information Systems - page 426

Figure 10.18
Using the GSS Approach
A trained meeting facilitator can
help lead the group decision-
making process and avoid
groupthink.
(Source: © Bill Bachmann/Getty
Images.)
Parallel and Unified Communication
With traditional group meetings, people must take turns addressing various issues. One per-
son normally talks at a time. With a GSS, every group member can address issues or make
comments at the same time by entering them into a PC or workstation. These comments
and issues are displayed on every group member's PC or workstation immediately. Parallel
communication can speed meeting times and result in better decisions. Increasingly, organi-
zations are using unified communications to support group decision making. Unified
communications ties together and integrates different communication systems, including tra-
ditional phones, cell phones, e-mail, text messages, the Internet, and more. 70 With unified
communications, members of a group decision-making team use a wide range of commu-
nications methods to help them collaborate and make better decisions. According to
Microsoft founder Bill Gates, “Unified communications jumped out as one of those great
opportunities to integrate something into the software you use for everything else you do.
Even by Microsoft standards, it's a huge opportunity.”
Automated Recordkeeping
Most GSSs can keep detailed records of a meeting automatically. Each comment that is
entered into a group member's PC or workstation can be anonymously recorded. In some
cases, literally hundreds of comments can be stored for future review and analysis. In addition,
most GSS packages have automatic voting and ranking features. After group members vote,
the GSS records each vote and makes the appropriate rankings.
GSS Software
GSS software, often called groupware or workgroup software , helps with joint work group
scheduling, communication, and management. Software from Autodesk, for example, has
GSS capabilities that allow groups to work together on the design. Designers, for example,
can use Autodesk's Buzzsaw Professional Online Collaboration Service, which works with
AutoCAD, a design and engineering software product from Autodesk. The U.S. Navy uses
Virtual Office from Groove Networks to help it manage critical information in delivering
humanitarian relief in disaster areas. The software is used for collaboration and communi-
cations in transmitting critical information between field offices. Virtual Office also has
encryption capabilities to keep sensitive information safe and secure.
One popular package, Lotus Notes, can capture, store, manipulate, and distribute memos
and communications that are developed during group projects. It can also incorporate
knowledge management, discussed in Chapter 5, into the Lotus Notes Package. Some com-
panies standardize on messaging and collaboration software, such as Lotus Notes. Lotus
Connections is a newer feature of Lotus Notes that allows people to post documents and
information on the Internet. 71 The new feature is similar to popular social-networking sites
like Facebook and MySpace but is designed for business use. 72 Microsoft has invested billions
of dollars in GSS software to incorporate collaborative features into its Office suite and related