A competing values approach to the study of group decision support systems

T. Parsons proposed that any system of action functions in four distinct ways: integration, goal attainment, adaptation, and tension management. According to the competing values approach, most measures of system performance reflect one of four organizational models consistent with Parsonian theory: the internal process model, the rational goal model, the open system model, and the human relations model. The competing values approach identifies both the dominant criteria for each model and the implicit organizational values they reflect. The study of the impact of group decision support systems (GDSS) is undertaken as an exemplary case of organizational change produced by novel technology. A competing values approach to such a study provides a social-psychological paradigm for the future of GDSS evaluation and eventual GDSS redesign