Decision support and BI systems ch10

Decision Support and
Business Intelligence
Systems
(9th Ed., Prentice Hall)
Chapter 10:
Collaborative ComputerSupported Technologies
and Group Support
Systems


Learning Objectives
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10-2

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
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10-3

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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Opening Vignette:
“Procter & Gamble Drives Ideation with Group Support
Systems”

10-4

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Company background

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Problem description

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Proposed solution

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Results

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Answer and discuss the case questions

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Collaboration
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What is it?
“… making joint effort toward achieving an agreed
upon goal.”

10-5

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Meeting is a common form of collaboration

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Why collaborate?

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Why Collaborate?
Make Decisions
Synergy

Build Trust

Share Work

Share the Vision
Share Information
Solve Problems

Build Consensus
10-6

Review

Socialize

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Collaboration is Difficult
Waiting to speak
Domination
Fear of Speaking
Misunderstanding
Inattention
Lack of Focus
Inadequate Criteria

Premature Decisions
Missing Information
Distractions
10-7

Ineffective
Collaboration

Wrong People
Groupthink
Poor Grasp of Problem
Ignored Alternatives
Lack of Consensus
Poor Planning
Hidden Agendas
Conflict
Inadequate Resources
Poorly Defined Goals

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Collaboration is Expensive
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15 Million formal Sessions / day

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? Million Informal Sessions / day

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4

Billion Sessions / year

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30-80% Manager’s time
Fortune 500 Companies
3M Corporation Study

10-8

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Collaboration is Essential
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No one has all the …
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Experience
Knowledge

Resources
Insight, and
Inspiration

…to do the job alone
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10-9

Bottom line:
Collaboration is difficult, expensive, and
yet essential for today’s organizations

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How Do People Collaborate?
Low

3 Levels of Collaboration Capability

Degree of
Collaborative
Effort

High
10-10

Sprinters

Level 1 Collected Work :
Uncoordinated Individual Efforts

Relay

Level 2 Coordinated Work:
Coordinated Individual Efforts

Crew

Level 3 Concerted Work:
Concerted Team Effort

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Meetings (a form of
collaboration)
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10-11

Joint activity

Equal or near equal status
Outcome depends on participant’s
knowledge, etc.
Outcome depends on group composition
Outcome depends on decision-making
process
Disagreement settled by rank or
negotiation

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The Ideal Meeting
 Dozens of people attends
 Everyone …
talks at once
hears everything
understands
remembers
 The impossible dream?
10-12

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Traditional Meetings

Only ONE person can speak at a time
10-13

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GSS Meetings

By using the computer everyone can
SPEAK and be understood simultaneously
10-14

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Communication Support

10-15

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Vital

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Needed for collaboration

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Modern information technologies provide inexpensive,
fast, capable, reliable means of supporting
communication

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Internet / Web

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Supporting Communication
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Evolution of Communication
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10-16

Word of mouth
Delivery persons
Horseback
Snailmail
Telegraph
Telephone

Radio
Television
Videoconferencing
Internet / Web…

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A Time/Place
Communication Framework

10-17

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Groupware
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Lotus Notes / Domino Server
Includes Learning Space

10-18

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Netscape Collabra Server

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Microsoft NetMeeting

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Novell Groupwise

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GroupSystems

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TCBWorks

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WebEx

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Group Support Systems
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Goal: to support groupwork
Increase benefits / decrease losses of
collaboration

Based on traditional methods
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Nominal Group Technique
“Individuals work alone to generate ideas which are
pooled under guidance of a trained facilitator”

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Delphi Method
“A structured process for collecting and distilling
knowledge from a group of experts by means of
questionnaires”

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10-19

Electronic Meeting System (EMS)

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GSS – Important Features
Process Gains:
 Parallelism
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Larger groups can participate

Anonymity
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( simultaneous contributions )
( promotes equal participation )

Focus on content not personalities

Triggering
Synergy
Structure
Record keeping
)

(
(
(
(

stimulates thinking )
integrates ideas )
facilitates problem solving )
promotes organizational memory

Process Loses:
 Free-riding
 Flaming
10-20

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Benefits of Anonymity
 Ideas considered
on merit not
source
 Overcome fear of
speaking up
 More ideas leads
to more quality
ideas
 Defuses tough
political
discussions
10-21

9#

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GSS Enabling Technologies

10-22

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Decision room

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Multiple use facility

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Web-based

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The Decision (Electronic Meeting)
Room
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10-23

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.
10-24

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Cooler Decision Rooms

US Air Force
10-25

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