A review of research in group support systems: Leaders, approaches and directions

Abstract

Research into Group Support SystemsGSS.is still in its early stages but there is great worldwide interest in the area ofresearch. The study has addressed these developmental issues through a thorough examination of literature from thirteen coreIS and GSS journals in the period from the first published GSS journal articles1984.until the end of 1996. A small numberof institutions and authors at or from these institutions have dominated GSS research. Perhaps because of their dominance,most GSS research has been on EMSparticularly GroupSystems.and so more work needs to be done on other EMSsoftware and non-EMS approaches. The study shows there is a clear need for more field work where studies involving actualstakeholders with their own problems. may reveal ways of improving technologies, methodologies and models, orsuggesting where new approaches may be needed. Further, theory development has been limited and more conceptual workis needed along with empirical studies which extend current theories and previous research studies. The effect of time andexperience with GSS needs to be studied, and more emphasis should be placed on the development and refinement of newmodels and methodologies. While the literature review carried out has some limitations, it still provides an interesting viewof the field and may help researchers focus on the directions they wish to take in their research in GSS. A completebibliography of the GSS literature for this study is available on the web at http:rrwww.cbs.curtin.edu.aurisrstaffrpervan.htm. q1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.