Decision Support and Business

Intelligence Systems
(9th Ed., Prentice Hall)

Chapter 10:
Collaborative Computer-
Supported Technologies and
Group Support Systems
 Learning Objectives
 Understand the basic concepts and processes of
groupwork, communication and collaboration
 Describe how computer systems facilitate
communication and collaboration in enterprises
 Know the concepts and importance of the time/place
framework
 Be aware of the underlying principles and capabilities
of groupware (e.g., GSS)
 Know the process gains and losses and how GSS
increases/decreases each of them
 Describe indirect support for decision making,
especially in synchronous environments
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 Learning Objectives
 Become familiar with the GSS products of the major
vendors (e.g., Lotus, Microsoft, WebEx, Groove)
 Understand the concept of GDSS and describe how to
structure an electronic meeting in a decision room
 Describe the three settings of GDSS
 Describe how a GDSS uses parallelism and anonymity
and how they lead to process/task gains and losses
 Understand how the Web enables collaborative
computing and group support of virtual meetings
 Describe the role of emerging technologies
 Define creativity and explain how it can be facilitated
by computers
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 The Decision (Electronic Meeting) Room
 12 to 30 networked personal computers
 Usually recessed into the desktop
 Server PC
 Large-screen projection system
 Breakout rooms
 Need a Trained Facilitator for Success

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 Cool Decision Rooms

IBM Corp.
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 Cooler Decision Rooms

US Air Force
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 Mobile Decision Rooms

Murraysville School District Bus

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 On-Demand Decision Rooms

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 Few Organizations Use Decision Rooms
 High Cost
 Need for a Trained Facilitator
 Requires Specific Software Support for
Different Cooperative Tasks
 Infrequent Use
 Different Place / Different Time Needs
 May Need More Than One

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 Other Technologies
 Multiple Use Facility
 Cheaper
 Still need a facilitator

 Web-based
 Cheaper: no extra hardware needed
 Still need facilitator

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 GroupSystems, Inc.
 From [Link], Tucson, AZ

 Comprehensive groupware
 Windows and Web versions
 Leading software

 Tool: ThinkTank

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 ThinkTank: Supported Activities
 Supported tools and activities:
 Agenda and Other Planning Activities
 Electronic Brainstorming
 Group Outliner
 Topic Commenter
 Categorizer
 Vote

 Others…
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 GSS Meeting Process

Iterate until
the solution is
reached…

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 Visit a GSS Meeting

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 Step 1: Prepare an Agenda
 Prepare an
agenda

 …

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 Step 2: Collect Information
 Brainstorm
Risk … think
about the
risks to the
 Think about company if
the risks to they launch
company if a new line of
they launch sports
drinks…
a new line
of products

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 Step 3: Refine Information
 Gather
Additional
Information

 Capture
important
issues for
the listed
items

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 Step 4: Prioritize Options
 Prioritize Risk
Based on
Likelihood and
Impact

 Use of
Alternative
Analysis Ballot
for two
Criteria

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 Step 5: Review Prioritized Options
 View and
Discuss
Results of
Voting

 …

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 Step 5: Review Prioritized Options…
 Chose Risks
for Further
Analysis…

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 Step 5: Review Prioritized Options…
 Collect
Additional
Input On Risks

 Collect
additional
comments on
top three
risks…

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 Step 5: Review Prioritized Options…
 Review
Comments on
Risks…

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 Step 6: Create an Action Plan
 Create an
Action Plan…

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 Step 7: Distribute Session Transcripts
 Create and
Distribute a
Final Report…

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 Last Words about GSS?
 Why Successful?
 Parallelism
 Anonymity
 Synergy
 Structure
 Record keeping
 Needs…
 Organizational commitment
 Executive sponsor
 Dedicated well-trained facilitator
 Good planning

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 Collaborative Networks
 Integrated supply-chain
 Collaborative planning, forecasting, and
replenishment (CPFR)
 Collaborative design and product
development
 Vendor Managed Inventories
 Wal-Mart, …
 Collective Intelligence
 Animal Intelligence (swarm intelligence)
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 Collaborative Planning, Forecasting,
and Replenishment (CPFR)

An industry-wide project in
which suppliers and retailers
collaborate in planning and
demand forecasting in order
to ensure that members of
the supply chain will have the
right amount of raw materials
and finished goods when they
need them

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 Collective Intelligence
 A shared intelligence that emerges from the
intentional cooperation, collaboration, and/or
coordination of many individuals.
 Examples: Wikipedia, video games, online
advertising, learner-generated context, …
 In order for CI to happen:
 Openness
For more info see
 Peering
Center for Collective
 Sharing Intelligence at MIT
 Acting globally ([Link])

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 A Taxonomy of Collective Intelligence

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 Creativity
 Is it a fundamental human trait or something
that can be learned?
 Definition: Creativity is a characteristic of a
person that leads to production of acts, items
and/or instances of novelty
 Creativity is the product of …
a genius vs. an idea generation environment
 Creative people tend to have creative lives

CREATIVITY  INNOVATION
 Idea Generation via Electronic Brainstorming
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 Creativity…
 What variables affects creativity
1. Cognitive variables: intelligence, knowledge,
skills, etc.
2. Environmental variables: cultural and
socioeconomic factors, working conditions, etc.
3. Personality variables: motivation, confidence,
sense of freedom, etc.
 Creativity is fostered by
 Freedom
 Permission-to-fail

Allow and Enable rather than Structure and Control

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 Creativity…
 Software that shows creativity
 Intelligent Agents (Softbots)
 Creativity is an intelligent behavior
 Software that facilitates human creativity
 ThoughtPath: promotes outside-the-box thinking
 Creative WhackPack (Creative Think): whack you
out of your habitual thought process
 IdeaFisher: provides language specific
universality - thesaurus

 Freedom, Collaboration, Prototyping

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 End of the Chapter

 Questions / comments…

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mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.  

Publishing as Prentice Hall

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