Using vertical integration to improve assimilation of GSS: a case study

Though group support systems (GSS) have been shown to be effective in both laboratory experiments and field studies and have established a beachhead in a number of firms, organizational diffusion still appears to be moving slowly. The study investigates a government GSS facility that has used a vertical integration approach to leverage GSS benefits, improve customer service, and create a high demand for its services. In the early years of the facility the group focused on providing facilitation and facilities for GSS meetings. Now, in addition to these services, they have begun providing support for other activities that make use of the output of GSS meetings, such as software development, in order to improve the usefulness of their services as a whole. This can be seen as a re-invention of an innovation that aligns organizations with new capabilities and facilitates innovation diffusion