Lynda M. Applegate

Facilitating group creativity: Experience with a group decision support system

Abstract:This paper reports on the results of research on the use of a group decision support system (gdss) for idea generation and analysis within a planning and decision laboratory environment. Our experience to date in the use of the idea generation models suggests that the technology does significantly influence the planning process. The automated version of the brainstorming model appears to neutralize many of the group effects that have been responsible for poor performance of group brainstorming in the past. Anonymity is maintained and group members appear to express their true feelings without fear of social disapproval. In addition, the automated idea generation models appear to neutralize the effects of an authority hierarchy in the group. The models allow parallel processing of ideas and prevent one group member from dominating the group discussion. All ideas are automatically recorded in the computer and are stored within the knowledge base for use throughout the planning process.Several facto...

Computer-aided deliberation: model management and group decision support

The paper highlights principles of group process as an important component of group activities in planning and policy making. The management of a variety of models utilized in organizational planning is discussed. Descriptions of the features and functions of the hardware and software environment, along with scenarios for use of the environment, illustrate critical issues in group deliberation. A particular model, stakeholder identification and assumption surfacing, is used to illustrate aspects of model management and planning process implementation. Findings of the group decision support system (GDSS) research are discussed in terms of anonymity of participation, facility design, need for multiple public screens, use of knowledge and data bases, communication network speed, methodological approach, software design, mixing of manual and electronic sessions, group size, composition, satisfaction of the users and model management systems. In general, the research results from experiments and case studies reflect our findings from observation of 40 groups.

Technology support for cooperative work: A framework for studying introduction and assimilation in organizations

This article draws on published research on the nature of the innovation process and exploratory field research in 10 companies to develop a framework for research on organizations’ introduction and assimilation of computer‐supported cooperative work technologies. The research reported in this article, part of a much larger study of the general process of innovation in organizations, focuses specifically on the transfer and assimilation of new technology innovations. Technologies to support group process, communication, and coordination in face‐to‐face group meetings [electronic meeting support systems (EMSS)] were chosen to illustrate the use of the research framework. The article focuses on the transfer of these technologies from R“D units to target organizational units and the alignment of group, technology, and task during assimilation by end‐user groups. Research propositions are developed and discussed. Future articles will present the findings from current research that utilizes the frameworks pres...

Knowledge management in organizational planning

Abstract:There is growing recognition that the ability to provide automated support for unstructured decision making within organizations will require the integration of knowledge-based expert system techniques and traditional decision support system architectures. Several knowledge representations are applicable in the specification, management, and communication of knowledge associated with organizational planning, a classic ill-structured problem facing organizations.This paper describes the requirements for knowledge management in organizational planning. A knowledge-based planning system that has been implemented by the authors is presented. The system integrates data management, model management, and process management systems within a group decision support system environment. Knowledge management tools for describing, classifying, and storing the output of the planning process are described. Use of the system in the Management Information Systems (mis) Planning and Decision Laboratory at the Unive...

Design of a management support system for hospital strategic planning

Recent changes in the health care industry that foster competition are drastically affecting hospital planning and marketing activities. Increased price competition, the development of less costly alternative health care delivery systems and providers, and the shift to prospective average-cost reimbursement for Medicare beneficiaries are major factors promoting a new emphasis on strategic hospital planning. Hospital information systems do not currently support the sophisticated data-collection and analysis requirements that will be needed to implement strategic planning activities. New data must be collected and old data must be analyzed and stored in new ways. New hospital information systems designs are needed to cope with the change in the economic structure of the health care industry and its effects on hospital information needs. This paper proposes a system design for a management support system that will assist hospital administrators and planners in analyzing internal organizational data and external industry data to develop strategic planning objectives, strategies, and business plans. Analysis of the structure and process of hospital strategic planning was performed to identify the information needs of hospital planners. A prototype system is currently being implemented at the University of Arizona. The system provides an integrating framework for data base management systems, executive information systems, model management systems, and dialogue management systems. Objective analytical models and subjective strategic planning models are available to assist with idea structuring and decision processing.

Crisis in the case study crisis: marginal diminishing returns to scale in the quantitative-qualitative research debate

The quest for legitimation of research approaches preoccupies many information systems researchers. Researchers who have adopted various forms of “qualitative” research seem particularly concerned about legitimating their work. This desire for legitimation is stimulated in part by ongoing debates about the nature of human understanding and the way we come to know about the world. In healthy circumstances this produces a useful, self-critical discussion that heads to improvements in the development and execution of research projects. Often, however, these debates are facades. They cover an underlying political struggle for position within the broad patronage structure of the academic world. Certain approaches are seen as “better” — more scientific, more rigorous, more formal, more pure — while others are marginalized as weak, journalistic, and even “atheoretical.” These political dynamics are compounded by practical considerations (e.g., the length of time and cost required to conduct rigorous case research and the need for access to managers within companies) and the requirement for a researcher to have achieved a certain level of management and business sophistication to effectively collect and analyze qualitative data.

IS Research and Policy: Notes From the 2015 ICIS Senior Scholar’s Forum

Based on the International Conference on Information Systems’ (ICIS) 2015 senior scholars’ forum, we provide insights on the role and opportunities of IS researchers in shaping policy.