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Dissertation Information for Anne Taylor McCartt

NAME:
- Anne Taylor McCartt

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Public Administration

SCHOOL:
- SUNY, Albany (USA) (1988)

ADVISORS:
- None

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- None

MPACT Status: Incomplete - Not_Inspected

Title: The effects of decision conferences on the processes and outcomes of group decision-making

Abstract: "The easy access of organizations to sophisticated, relatively inexpensive computer hardware and software has permitted the development of Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS), interactive computer-based technologies to support group decision making. One common application of GDSS is the decision conference, which combines the use of computers to structure data relevant to a decision with group facilitation techniques.

This dissertation explored the effectiveness of decision making with decision conferences by examining groups using the Decision Techtronics Group (DTG), the most active center of decision conferencing in the public sector. The primary purpose was to measure the effectiveness of the processes and outcomes of decision conferences, based on participants' perceptions, and to identify variables associated with differences in perceived effectiveness.

Quantitative data were collected through a self-administered mailed survey of participants in 14 conferences. Based on the Competing Values Approach to organizational behavior, eight scales were constructed to measure decision process effectiveness. These scales and a global outcome measure were used to classify the conferences into three groups representing different levels of perceived conference success. Differences in perceived success among the three groups were related to: (1) the proportion of participants who believed the conference resulted in a decision; and (2) the level of benefits derived from: the construction of a computer-based decision model and associated computer output; development of an action plan; opportunity for open, extended discussion; and expectation of resolution by conference end.

Face-to-face semi-structured interviews, conducted with participants in a subset of four conferences, confirmed the importance of specific elements of the conference approach and indicated three additional variables related to differences in perceived conference success: (1) the nature of the focal problem and the goal for the conference; (2) the nature of the group; and, (3) the extent to which resolution was reached at the conference.

The findings have implications for the design and evaluation of decision conferences, other GDSS, and more traditional decision-making interventions and for the development of instrumentation and methods to evaluate the processes and outcomes of groups involved in strategic decision making."

MPACT Scores for Anne Taylor McCartt

A = 0
C = 1
A+C = 1
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:13:06

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