Guidelines For Computer-Assisted Group Problem Solving:Meeting the Challenges of Complex Issues

Over the past decade, several computer-based systems have been developed for assistance with group decision making and problem solving. The goal of such systems is to make meetings more productive by increasing the speed at which decisions are reached and to improve the quality of the resulting decisions. Although there are indications that computer assistance has been successful in helping groups fulfill their normal tasks more efficiently, the challenge confronting the next generation of computer-assisted systems is to provide greater support for complex problem situations. The demands of complexity differ from those faced by groups working on more traditional meeting tasks. Computer assistance needs to help groups (a) move beyond the status quo of group problem solving, (b) develop a greater focus on shared meaning, (c) adopt a new view of human rationality, (d) balance technology with the behavioral demands of group work, and (e) emphasize both individual and group learning. Such computer assistance must be developed as an integrated system of planning and design that is conceived with a holistic view of the requirements of complexity.