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Facilitator Influence in Group Support Systems: Intended and Unintended Effects

Author

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  • Terri L. Griffith

    (John M. Olin School of Business, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899)

  • Mark A. Fuller

    (Hankamer School of Business, Information Systems Department, Baylor University, Waco, Texas 76798-8005)

  • Gregory B. Northcraft

    (Department of Business Administration, College of Commerce and Business Administration, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois 61820)

Abstract

This paper addresses facilitation , a developing area of Group Support Systems (GSS) research. The facilitator role is one of improving a group's communication and information flow; facilitators are meant to enhance the manner in which a group makes decisions without making those decisions for the group. However, there is a paradox in facilitation: The influence required to facilitate a group changes the group's outcomes. Additionally, strict impartiality for facilitation may be too much to expect because facilitators may unintentionally bias group outcomes, or because facilitators may have their own agendas. Acknowledgment, training, and standards for facilitators may prove useful ways for groups to retain the benefits of facilitation without incurring the costs of inappropriate facilitator influence. Implications are drawn for new research acknowledging the complexity of the GSS sociotechnical system, and the importance of sociotechnical facilitation in organizations.

Suggested Citation

  • Terri L. Griffith & Mark A. Fuller & Gregory B. Northcraft, 1998. "Facilitator Influence in Group Support Systems: Intended and Unintended Effects," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 9(1), pages 20-36, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orisre:v:9:y:1998:i:1:p:20-36
    DOI: 10.1287/isre.9.1.20
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    Cited by:

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    3. Younès El Manzani & Mohamed Larbi Sidmou & Jean-Jack Cegarra, 2018. "Does IS0 9001 quality management system support product innovation? An analysis from the sociotechnical systems theory," Post-Print hal-03080217, HAL.
    4. Lionel P. Robert Jr & Alan R. Dennis & Manju K. Ahuja, 2018. "Differences are Different: Examining the Effects of Communication Media on the Impacts of Racial and Gender Diversity in Decision-Making Teams," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(3), pages 525-545, September.
    5. Mohamed Khalifa & RonChi-Wai Kwok & Robert Davison, 2002. "The Effects of Process and Content Facilitation Restrictiveness on GSS-Mediated Collaborative Learning," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 11(5), pages 345-361, September.
    6. K N Papamichail & G Alves & S French & J B Yang & R Snowdon, 2007. "Facilitation practices in decision workshops," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 58(5), pages 614-632, May.
    7. Neale, Margaret A. & Griffith, Terri & Sawyer, John E., 2000. "Information Technology as a Jealous Mistress: Competition for Knowledge between Individuals and Organizations," Research Papers 1611, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    8. Youngjin Kim & Starr Roxanne Hiltz & Murray Turoff, 2002. "Coordination Structures and System Restrictiveness in Distributed Group Support Systems," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 11(5), pages 379-404, September.
    9. Aida Azadegan & Gwendolyn Kolfschoten, 2014. "An Assessment Framework for Practicing Facilitator," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 1013-1045, September.
    10. Daniel Gilfillan & Stacy-ann Robinson & Hannah Barrowman, 2020. "Action Research to Enhance Inter-Organisational Coordination of Climate Change Adaptation in the Pacific," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-24, May.
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