IBM Uses a Group Decision Support System

At a large IBM manufacturing site, an extensive field study was performed to try out a computerized system to support face-to-face meetings. In this system, each participant used a computer terminal to enter and rank ideas. In one example from the study, a shop floor manager convened a meeting to isolate causes of quality problems. A previous two-hour meeting with six key participants had degenerated into personal arguments and no solutions. In the computer-assisted meeting, the computers supported brainstorming around the question, What are the key issues in improving shop floor control? Each participant used a personal terminal to type in ideas anonymously and circulate them to each other randomly for anonymous follow-up comments. In 35 minutes, they generated 645 lines of comments, including issues, ideas, and clarification. Next, the leader of the meeting displayed the comments on a screen in front of the room. Participants consolidated and reorganized these comments to produce a list of requirements for effective shop floor control. The meeting ended with the distribution of a list of conclusions to the participants.

Questions:

1. Use the WCA framework to organize your understanding of this case and to identify important topics that are not mentioned.

2. Which, if any, of the six types of information systems is or are represented here?

3. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of this type of system from the viewpoint of a department manager

Source: Nunamaker, Jay, et al. Experiences at IBM with Group Support Systems: A Field Study. Decision Support Systems, Vol. 5, No. 2, June 1989, pp. 183-196.

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