Effects of individuals’ psychological states on their satisfaction with the GSS process

The use of group support systems (GSS) to improve the outcomes of, and satisfaction with, meetings is increasing. Our empirical study, drawing on the theory of job design, was initiated to investigate the relative contribution of both individual and group characteristics on GSS participants’ satisfaction with the process. Our field study found that when employees used a GSS to brainstorm on an issue of concern, two individual characteristics (locus of control and personal innovativeness) and one group characteristic (group cohesion) had significant impact on user satisfaction with the meeting process. Locus of control, however, was found to have an impact in the opposite direction to our assumptions. Computer anxiety, an individual characteristic, was not found to be significant.