Handbook of Principles of Organizational Behavior - Soltanieh ...

600 M ARYAM A LAVI AND Y OUNGJIN Y OO
complex datasets with multidimensional decision - making criteria ( Turban, Aronson, and
Liang, 2006 ). These emerging DSS tools take advantage of sophisticated artifi cial intelligence
and multidimensional statistical techniques to detect hidden patterns and associations.
Furthermore, powerful visualization tools enable decision makers to analyze the data from
many different angles (Dillon and Information Management Forum, 1998 ). Leading companies
like Wal - Mart have been very successful in utilizing the huge volume of transaction
databases to gain new insights into customer behaviors. Organizations can deepen their
relationship with customers by leveraging better insight on customers ’ behavior (Cooper,
Watson, Wixom, and Goodhue, 2000 ). In information systems literature, several
researchers have articulated and investigated the relationship between DSS and organizational
decision - making processes and outcomes. For example, Leidner and Elam ( 1995 )
in their study involving 91 users of decision support systems in 22 organizations found
that the use of DSS led to better decision - making outcomes as well as enhanced user
mental models. Thus, the information access and analytical capabilities offered by DSS
can bring about changes and improvements in decision - making processes and outcomes.
Information technologies, with their vast capacity for creating, transmitting, and storing
messages, can also play a key role in the support of communication and collaboration
processes in organizations. An early effort to use information technology to support
organiz ational communication and collaboration processes led to the development of
group support systems (GSS). More specifically, GSS refers to a range of computer- and
communication - based capabilities designed to support work group interaction processes
in order to enhance the performance of groups in organizational settings ( Jessup and
Valacich, 1993 ; Nunamaker, Dennis, Valacich, Vogel, and George, 1991 ). Dominant forms
of early GSS tools include electronic mail and computer conferencing systems, videoconferencing,
and electronic meeting systems.
There has been a major growth in the application of group support systems in organizations
over the past decade. Consider the following examples and changes resulting from
applications of group support systems. Boeing experienced a return on investment of
681% with an approximately $ 100,000 investment (Briggs, 2004 ). Andersen Consulting uses
a Lotus Notes software system as a corporate backbone for the support of its knowledge
sharing (Yoo and Torrey, 2002 ). Notes is deployed to over 10,000 people worldwide and is
actively used for a variety of group functions, including e - mail, project management, and
information exchange and capture.
Early GSS research literature (Benbasat and Lim, 1993 ; Dennis, Wixom, and
Vandeberg, 2001 ; DeSanctis and Poole, 1994 ; Pinsonneault and Kraemer, 1989 ) point
out that, in general, three types of value - added organizational change can be expected
from group support system applications. These include: (1) reducing the effects of time
and distance barriers that constrain face - to - face interactions and communication, (2)
enhancing the timeliness, range, depth, and format of the information available to organizational
members, and (3) improving performance and effectiveness by reducing group
process losses (e.g. evaluation apprehension) through more efficient and structured group
interaction processes.
The continuing development of communication technology has enabled the emergence
of virtual teams as a viable form of organizing and coordinating group works
( Jarvenpaa, Knoll, and Leidner, 1998 ; Jarvenpaa and Leidner, 1999 ; Lipnack and Stamps,
2000 ; Piccoli, Powell, and Ives, 2004; Powell, Piccoli, and Ives, 2004 ). A virtual team is a