INCREASING MEETING EFFICIENCY WITH A GDSS - A NEW TECHNOLOGY WHICH INCREASES THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY OF MANY TYPES OF GROUP WORK

Group meetings are a daily component of most businesses but are often considered as unproductive or even a ''waste of time'' by many participants. Over the past decade, computer-based systems called group decision support systems (GDSSs) have been developed to improve meetings, and studies have shown that the systems can increase their efficiency and effectiveness as well as the group members' satisfaction with them. Describes this new technology with its advantages and disadvantages and shows how two corporations used GDSSs to improve their meeting productivity.