Group Decision Support and Groupware Technologies

What is groupware?

Groupware is computer network technology designed to boost the productivity and facilitate

communication of work groups. This technology is usually based on shared environment interface and
used for computer supported cooperative work (CSCW). It supports groups of people engaged in a
common activity or project and enables users to communicate, cooperate, coordinate, solve problems, etc.
Groupware should consider possible roles people play in cooperative work, how people behave in groups
and how aspects of networking technology affect a user's experience.

Groupware benefits

You can use it for a variety of reasons, however, the main reason is collaboration within the team or
employees.

 Allows companies and work groups to share information better

 Helps to coordinate group work and solve problems collectively
 Enables the staff to understand the targets of company business

Also some groupware software are used to bypass the traditional problem of having employees in
different places. By logging in to a network or intranet server, employees don't need to be in the office in
order to access certain groupware and benefit from collaboration.

Groupware types

Groupware (software) is divided into two categories related to time:

 "Synchronous" (or "Real time") groupware allows to work simultaneously

 "Asynchronous" groupware allows to work at different times

These categories are divided into two groups related to place:

 "Collocated" ("Face-to-face") groupware allows to work together in the same place

 "Non-collocated" ("Distance") groupware allows to work in different places

Groupware workflow

Groupware supposes highly-structured communication between users. Though communication

structure may differ from company to company, task management groupware helps to set a common
workflow within the company. Typically, a task is planned by team leader or department manager and
assigned to an employee. Then the employee automatically receives a notification about the assignment
and starts working. After the employee finishes work on the task, he or she changes status of the task and
team leader automatically receives the notification about it.

Groupware Software privacy

When setting up a groupware, it's important to specify what information is private and what is shared.
Simultaneous access by everyone to everything is a key feature of groupware software, but sometimes it
 can be vulnerable and lead to a mess. So groupware administrator should take care that besides common
folders with company tasks, users have their personal folders that nobody else can see. This is also true
for company tasks that should remain secure against attempts of not authorized users to see them.

Globalization has not only expanded the product markets. It has also made organizations geographically
more dispersed. Therefore, the way the business is done and decisions are made has also changed
significantly. Collaborative decision-making has become more valuable than ever.

This is why there is an increased emphasis on developing and implementing communications-driven

group decision support systems. Decision making, in the current business environment, is a collaborative
process with participation from in-house and remotely located teams or temporary work groups or task
forces. In such a scenario, communications-driven group DSS makes it easier for every participant to
send and receive communication and interact with others in real time, from their respective
locations, without meeting physically.

A communications-driven group DSS

 Fosters collaboration between cross functional business teams at same or different locations
 Allows geographically separated decision makers connect face-to-face in real time
 Allows data sharing with rest of the team members, work groups or task forces

What is Communications-Driven Group Decision Support System ?

Now that we know how a communications-driven group DSS can support decision-making among
geographically dispersed teams using web-based tools, it’s time to understand what exactly it is.

A communications-driven group decision support system:

 Is a type of hybrid computer-based interactive decision support system

 That uses communications and network technologies
 To facilitate communication, resource/information sharing, face-to-face meetings and
collaboration
 Among a group of decision makers that are separated by a distance

Group Support Tools

There are a number of tools and technologies that can be incorporated in a GDSS (Group Decision
Support System), in order to promote better decision making. These include:

 Groupware: A software system to enhance collaboration among participants/ decision makers

and support group/s in completing tasks.
 Multimedia Decision Support: An integration of computer, video and decision-support
technologies, facilitating information sharing, group decision tasks, collaboration and coordination. It
offers a smart decision support in which decisions are directly affected by the way decision makers
interact, review information, make choices and take actions.

 Electronic Meeting System: A software system to facilitate creative problem solving and
decision making using electronic technologies.
 Collaborative Workgroup Software: A web-based team collaboration and project management
software facilitating group tasks and live discussions for better decision making.
 Group Decision Support Situations

A group decision support system fosters collaboration and team decision-making in four different
situations:

 Same time, same place

 Same time, different place

 Different time, same place

 Different time, different place

Same Time, Same Place

In this situation, all decision makers are available at same time at same place. The information is
displayed on either computer projection system or on individual computers of participants.

Same Time, Different Place

In this situation, individuals participate in decision-making from geographically different locations at the
same time. A GDSS

 Allows people to see what others at different locations are doing

 Offers video conferencing facilities where participants can see and hear each other in real time
 Offers support for meeting or interactions via two-way video
 Offers additional facilities, such as screen sharing, chat, audio, white boards

Different Time, Same Place

In this situation, GDSS fosters communication for those who work at same place but have different shift
timings. It offers numerous facilities, including:

 Document sharing
 Workstation software for shift work
 Email

Different Time, Different Place

 It’s important to understand how GDSS work in different time and different place situations. It is a
situation where participants are geographically distant and also operate in a different time zone. It fosters
communication, collaboration and team decision making through:

 Conferencing
 Bulletin board
 Voice mail
 Email

A GDSS supports communication and collaboration in all the above situations.

A Managerial Perspective on Group Decision Support

A communications-driven group decision support system is implemented, so that it can support all
activities of a work team or task force, irrespective of the locations and time zones of participants.

The major concern of investors/users at the time of deciding whether to develop a decision support
system or not

must be:

 The type of support a proposed technology can offer

 The extent of support a GDSS will offer
 The technologies it must support to ensure smooth functioning
 The selection of the best technology or system in a given decision-making situation

Therefore, the managers must ask themselves following questions, in order to attain more clarity:

 Should there be an audio conferencing facility? If yes, how many people should be able to
participate in a conference at a given time?
 Will participants be using the technology, like bulletin boards?
 What will be the alternative for web conferencing when participants are at different locations and
in different time zones?
 How frequent will be resource sharing and how participants will access information and to what
extent?
 Do you wish to integrate emailing with the GDSS?
 How can video conferencing be made comfortable for participants?

A lot of thought and planning go into designing and development of a communications-driven group
decision support system.

Contingency Theory

A communications-driven GDSS addresses problems associated with group collaboration,

communication and decision making, when participants are geographically dispersed and operate in
different time zones.

This means the effectiveness of a GDSS directly depends upon its design, user-interface, DSS
architecture, integrated support tools and technical skills possessed by participants who use DSS.
 Although managers know that the set of tools that they have chosen for a GDSS are good, but they may
not perform equally good in all circumstances. There is no one best way of making decisions or
supporting group collaboration. A tool or process may work well in some situations and may terribly fail
in others.

In such a scenario, the managers must resort to a contingency approach that focuses on three main points:

 Task Type: The deciding factors include idea generation, creativity, planning, choosing
alternatives and action. For example, computer mediated communication is a good fit for idea generation
activities, and video and audio conferencing is a good choice when decision-making is a function of
human intellect.
 Group Size: bigger the size, higher the difference between technical abilities, likes and interests,
preferences and judgments. Small groups may not require extensive support or communication tools
while large groups require
 more sophisticated and automated tools.
 Group Proximity: More sophisticated communications-driven GDSS is required when the group
of decision makers is dispersed and operates in different time zones, while a simpler system is
sufficient for a group operating from the same place and at same time.

A contingency approach depends on task structure, location of team members and difference in
organizational attributes.

Virtual Organizations

A virtual organization is an association of physically and/or professionally detached individuals working

together on a project or to achieve a mission. It doesn’t have any physical existence but the technology
(internet technology, more precisely) makes it look real.

Communications-driven group decision support systems are best suited for virtual organizations that
require a lot of technological support to foster communication and collaboration and get the work done.

A GDSS makes a virtual organization:

 Look real
 Work in real time
 Establish innovative relationships among task forces
 Establish professional alliances among participants

A communications-driven GDSS for a virtual organization makes use of various knowledge management
technologies, including:

 Personal computers
 Intranet and extranet
 Wireless technologies
 Collaborative technologies
 Web conferencing
 Groupware
 Worldwide Web

Benefits of Communications-Driven GDSS

 Allows group members contribute significantly in decision making irrespective of their locations
and time zones
 Extracts greater participation from team members, given the availability of support technologies
 Makes document sharing easier, faster and more secured
 Fosters more concentrated and focused decision-making

 Saves a lot of money and time by allowing participants to contribute from their own locations
(users don’t need to spend time and money in traveling)
 Helps completing tasks fasters
 Reduces the chances of forgetfulness by offering facilities like bulletin boards and whiteboards
 Encourages input of ideas because of its simplicity of use
 Increases information sharing, which ultimately speeds knowledge capturing and enhances
productivity
 Makes results available easily and immediately
 Makes it easier to understand by displaying information in the form of graphics
 Gives more structure to virtual operations and decision-making

Evaluating Communication and Group Support Tools

Not all group communication and support tools may suit your requirements. In order to choose the right
group support tools for your communication-driven decision support system, it’s essential to consider
these factors:

 Scalability: A tool’s ability to support the needs of all anticipated users is known as scalability.
Plus, it should be easily integrated with existing hardware and software applications.
 Reliability: A group support tool must be able to perform necessary tasks without failing.
Though decision makers use different technologies at different times in different situations, but the
reliability of a support tool
 should be evaluated before integrating it with the system.
 Ease of Installation and Use: A support tool must be easy to install and use. An ideal tool is the
one that requires minimal or no formal training for its users. The decision makers may consult
DSS experts to integrate group support tools that are easy to use.
 Versatility: Versatility of a support tool plays a crucial role. As different DSS users prefer
different platforms, it must be compatible across all platforms. In addition, it must allow easy
customization of features and capabilities.
 Security: As a GDSS fosters resource sharing, a support tool must ensure security of data
transfer by executing it across firewalls.
 Cost: Given the significant expenditure on a GDSS, a support tool must be affordable enough, so
that it doesn’t add much to the basic cost of developing and implementing a DSS.

It’s important to select the right communication and support tools to promote good decision making by a
team that is physically dispersed. Moreover, a GDSS must be carefully aligned to the structure of an
organization, in order to get the best results.

Groupware Technologies

Groupware is a class of computer programs that enables individuals to collaborate on projects with a
common goal from geographically dispersed locations through shared Internet interfaces as a means to
communicate within the group.
 Groupware may also include remote access storage systems to archive frequently used data files. These
can be altered, accessed and retrieved by workgroup members.

Groupware is also known as collaborative software.

The first commercial groupware products emerged in early 1990s when international giants such as IBM
and Boeing began using electronic meeting systems for their internal projects. Further, Lotus Notes
appeared as a major product of this category, further enhancing remote group collaborations.

Groupware systems are classified based on functions, specifically:

 Computer mediated communication supporting direct participant communication

 Meeting and decision support systems capturing the common understanding of participants
 Shared applications
 Artifacts supporting the interaction of participants through shared work objects

Groupware is either synchronous or asynchronous in nature. Synchronous groupware is a class of

applications that allows a group of individuals who are physically separated to interact with each other
using shared computational objects in real time. The fundamental requirement of synchronous groupware
is real-time coordination among clients. The user interfaces advocate a feeling of togetherness. They
require shared audio channels for communication.

Asynchronous groupware uses email, structured messages, agents, workflow, computer conferencing
agents, file sharing systems and collaborative writing systems, among others. Asynchronous
collaborations between users are well maintained only if they are allowed to perform their contributions
without any restrictions. This can be accomplished through replicated data management systems with
read any or write any data access. Users can execute concurrent updates.

The extensive use of groupware on the Internet helped contribute to the development of Web 2.0, which
uses instant messaging, Web conferencing, group calendars, document sharing, etc.

Asynchronous Groupware

Email is by far the most common groupware application (besides of course, the traditional telephone).
While the basic technology is designed to pass simple messages between 2 people, even relatively basic
email systems today typically include interesting features for forwarding messages, filing messages,
creating mailing groups, and attaching files with a message. Other features that have been explored
include: automatic sorting and processing of messages, automatic routing, and structured communication
(messages requiring certain information).

Newsgroups and mailing lists are similar in spirit to email systems except that they are intended for
messages among large groups of people instead of 1-to-1 communication. In practice the main difference
between newsgroups and mailing lists is that newsgroups only show messages to a user when they are
explicitly requested (an "on-demand" service), while mailing lists deliver messages as they become
available (an "interrupt-driven" interface).

Workflow systems allow documents to be routed through organizations through a relatively-fixed

process. A simple example of a workflow application is an expense report in an organization: an
employee enters an expense report and submits it, a copy is archived then routed to the employee's
manager for approval, the manager receives the document, electronically approves it and sends it on and
the expense is registered to the group's account and forwarded to the accounting department for payment.
Workflow systems may provide features such as routing, development of forms, and support for differing
roles and privileges.

Hypertext is a system for linking text documents to each other, with the Web being an obvious example.
Whenever multiple people author and link documents, the system becomes group work, constantly
evolving and responding to others' work. Some hypertext systems include capabilities for seeing who else
has visited a certain page or link, or at least seeing how often a link has been followed, thus giving users a
basic awareness of what other people are doing in the system -- page counters on the Web are a crude
approximation of this function. Another common multi-user feature in hypertext (that is not found on the
Web) is allowing any user to create links from any page, so that others can be informed when there are
relevant links that the original author was unaware of.

Group calendars allow scheduling, project management, and coordination among many people, and may
provide support for scheduling equipment as well. Typical features detect when schedules conflict or find
meeting times that will work for everyone. Group calendars also help to locate people. Typical concerns
are privacy (users may feel that certain activities are not public matters), completeness and accuracy
(users may feel that the time it takes to enter schedule information is not justified by the benefits of the
calendar).

Collaborative writing systems may provide both realtime support and non-realtime support. Word
processors may provide asynchronous support by showing authorship and by allowing users to track
changes and make annotations to documents. Authors collaborating on a document may also be given
tools to help plan and coordinate the authoring process, such as methods for locking parts of the
document or linking separately-authored documents.

Synchronous support allows authors to see each other's changes as they make them, and usually needs to
provide an additional communication channel to the authors as they work (via videophones or chat).
Synchronous or Realtime Groupware

Shared whiteboards allow two or more people to view and draw on a shared drawing surface even from
different locations. This can be used, for instance, during a phone call, where each person can jot down
notes (e.g. a name, phone number, or map) or to work collaboratively on a visual problem. Most shared
whiteboards are designed for informal conversation, but they may also serve structured communications
or more sophisticated drawing tasks, such as collaborative graphic design, publishing, or engineering
applications. Shared whiteboards can indicate where each person is drawing or pointing by showing
telepointers, which are color-coded or labeled to identify each person.

Video communications systems allow two-way or multi-way calling with live video, essentially a
telephone system with an additional visual component. Cost and compatibility issues limited early use of
video systems to scheduled videoconference meeting rooms. Video is advantageous when visual
information is being discussed, but may not provide substantial benefit in most cases where conventional
audio telephones are adequate. In addition to supporting conversations, video may also be used in less
direct collaborative situations, such as by providing a view of activities at a remote location. The
Usability First site maintains a bibliography of papers on the user interface design of video
communications systems.

Chat systems permit many people to write messages in realtime in a public space. As each person submits
a message, it appears at the bottom of a scrolling screen. Chat groups are usually formed by having listing
chat rooms by name, location, number of people, topic of discussion, etc. Many systems allow for rooms
with controlled access or with moderators to lead the discussions, but most of the topics of interest to
researchers involve issues related to unmoderated realtime communication including: anonymity,
following the stream of conversation, scalability with number of users, and abusive users. While chat-like
systems are possible using non-text media, the text version of chat has the rather interesting aspect of
having a direct transcript of the conversation, which not only has long-term value, but allows for
backward reference during conversation making it easier for people to drop into a conversation and still
pick up on the ongoing discussion.

Decision support systems are designed to facilitate groups in decision-making. They provide tools for
brainstorming, critiquing ideas, putting weights and probabilities on events and alternatives, and voting.
Such systems enable presumably more rational and even-handed decisions. Primarily designed to
facilitate meetings, they encourage equal participation by, for instance, providing anonymity or enforcing
turn-taking.

groupware applications

 CentriQS is a client-server business management software solution designed to help you do your

business activities the way that ensures efficiency and effectiveness. You can create custom
databases in which the business entities (e.g. Project, Task, Process, Invoice, Customer, Order,
Account, etc.) can be represented and modeled according to your company's business
environment. CentriQS solution is best for small business ERP and database customization.
 VIP Task Manager is synchronous groupware for task management. This client/server
software allows planning, scheduling, sharing, tracking and reporting tasks, appointments,
projects, and any company activities. Authorized users can simultaneously access the common
database through Local Network (LAN) to see, add, edit and delete their team or personal tasks,
if they are granted appropriate permissions.
 VIP Team To Do List is asynchronous groupware for task management. It is single-user
system that allows team leaders to create, manage and send tasks or individual to-do lists to
team members by e-mail or publish to-do lists on company website.