ABSTRACT
This chapter provides guidance to management in the evaluation and selection of group work support systems. Improvements in computer and communications technologies have made possible a new class of application systems intended to support group work. An application of the methodology to four group support products demonstrated at the Symposium is contained in this chapter. The component addresses those issues that are unique to group work. Attention is now turned to the characteristics of group work. Although the focus of this evaluation method is on group work, at the most primitive level most work is performed by individuals. Performance in the group process domain refers to how well the system supports those activities that are unique to group work, for example, group decision making, or the sharing of a work product for mutual comment. The packages reviewed in this chapter vary with respect to their support for group work.
