Facilitation, GSS, and Training as Sources of Process Restrictiveness and Guidance for Structured Group Decision Making: An Empirical Assessment

Structured decision techniques have been a mainstay of prescriptive decision theory for decades. Group Support Systems (GSSs) automate many of the features found in decision techniques, yet groups often choose to ignore both the technique and the technology in favor of more familiar decision processes. This research empirically tests propositions and hypotheses for a specific instantiation of Adaptive Structuration Theory. A controlled laboratory experiment tests the ability of three appropriation mediators (e.g., facilitation, GSS configuration, and training) to directively affect group decision making through guidance and restrictiveness. The experiment used a hidden-profile task and structured decision technique which directed group members to reach a decision by identifying the problem, choosing criteria, and selecting a solution. The results supported the proposition that appropriation mediators can increase the faithful use of structured decision techniques and that faithful use can improve decision quality.