Group decision support systems and incentive structures

Many studies have compared the advantages and disadvantages of meetings using Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS), but relatively little research has been conducted on the role of incentives in these meetings. An experiment was conducted with 40 eight-person groups to determine the influence of incentive distribution mode (group or individual) and incentive type (positive or negative) on GDSS outcomes. Results indicate that group performance, including task performance, consensus, process satisfaction, and participation, is higher if there are group-based incentives, and that negative incentives or extinction result in more participation and less satisfaction. No interaction effects were found between incentive distribution mode and incentive type. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.