Page 209 - DMGT505_MANAGEMENT_INFORMATION_SYSTEM

Management Information Systems

Notes Figure 10.4: Decision Making Process

Identification Development
Phase Phase

Selection
Phase

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
7. .................................. process is an ongoing process because at every moment the manager
has to take certain decisions like to conduct a meeting to implement certain policies, etc.

8. Decision making is a .................................. process of choosing a particular course of action
out of several alternative courses for the purpose of achieving the given objective.

10.4 Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS)

More and more, companies are turning to groups and teams to get work done. Hours upon
hours are spent in meetings, in group collaboration, in communicating with many people.
To help groups make decisions, a new category of systems was developed—the group decision-
support system (GDSS).
You’ve been there: a meeting where nothing seemed to get done, where some people dominated
the agenda and others never said a word, which dragged on for hours with no clear agenda.
When it was all over no one was sure what was accomplished, if anything. But the donuts and
coffee were good!

Organizations have been struggling with this problem for years. They are now using GDSS as a
way to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of meetings. The text includes a list of elements
that GDSS use to help organizations. We’ll highlight a few of them:
 Preplanning: A clear-cut agenda of the topics for the meeting.
 Open, collaborative meeting atmosphere: Free flow of ideas and communications without
any of the attendees feeling shy about contributing.
 Evaluation objectivity: Reduces “office politics” and the chance that ideas will be dismissed
because of who presented them instead of what was presented.

 Documentation: Clear communication about what took place and what decisions were
made by the group.
 Preservation of “organizational memory”: Even those unable to attend the meeting will
know what took place; great for geographically separated team members.

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