Efficiency and effectiveness of a decision support system: A test

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: There have been many claims of increased decision quality resulting from the use of decision support systems. The objective of this study was to test the general hypothesis that a decision support system increases decision efficiency and effectiveness. An executive decision game was played in a senior level policy course. One section was exposed to a DSS while another section played the game in the normal way. Various measures of the quality of decisions were recorded.

Finding and Conclusions: Overall, it was found that a decision support system allowed for those with access to it to make significantly more efficient and effective decisions in the business simulation game, For virtually every measure of decision quality examined the DSS group outperformed their non-DSS counterparts, Concerning decision efficiency, the DSS group considered more alternatives, took longer to make their decisions and were more confident in the decisions they made.