A review of research in Group Support Systems: leaders, approaches and directions

Research into Group Support Systems (GSS) is still in its early stages but there is great worldwide interest in the area of research. The study has addressed these developmental issues through a thorough examination of literature from thirteen core IS and GSS journals in the period from the first published GSS journal articles (1984) until the end of 1996. A small number of institutions and authors at or from these institutions have dominated GSS research. Perhaps because of their dominance, most GSS research has been on EMS (particularly GroupSystems) and so more work needs to be done on other EMS software and non-EMS approaches. The study shows there is a clear need for more field work where studies involving actual stakeholders with their own problem(s) may reveal ways of improving technologies, methodologies and models, or suggesting where new approaches may be needed. Further, theory development has been limited and more conceptual work is needed along with empirical studies which extend current theories and previous research studies. The effect of time and experience with GSS needs to be studied, and more emphasis should be placed on the development and refinement of new models and methodologies. While the literature review carried out has some limitations, it still provides an interesting view of the field and may help researchers focus on the directions they wish to take in their research in GSS. A complete bibliography of the GSS literature for this study is available on the web at http://www.cbs.curtin.edu.au/is/staff/pervan.htm.