PARTICIPANTS PERCEPTIONS ON THE ROLE OF FACILITATORS USING GROUP DECISION-SUPPORT SYSTEMS

The impact of facilitation upon group meetings has been a topic of res earch and debate for over 40 years. However, with the emergence and in creasing usage of Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS), the role of f acilitators is once more being addressed. Facilitators aim to substant ially increase the effectiveness of group working, making meetings mor e productive and efficient through the management of both content and process. However, while the benefit that facilitators can bring is ack nowledged, developing the necessary skills and techniques is more prob lematic. There are few manuals for would-be faciliators to draw upon, and much of their ability is acquired through experience. This article therefore attempts to increase the knowledge available and to provide facilitators with some practical suggestions. The research focuses on a series of interviews with group members (participants) who had used a particular GDSS-Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA)-f or organizational decision making. From the analysis of the interviews , a number of reoccurring issues were identified which are presented a s a set of learning points. These cover not only the workshop/meeting itself, but also the pre-workshop and post-workshop stages. The articl e also reflects on the impact which these identified learning points h ave on design and future GDSS development.