Decision Support Systems: A Decade in Perspective 195 The roots of the notion Decision Support Systems can be traced back for more than one decade, although DSS seems to be still a new concept for many practitioners and researchers. In this perspective it is appropriate to ask what experiences we got so far, what promises came true, what issues are emerging. This special issue seeks to answer these ques- tions by looking back to the last decade and looking into the new decade. The contributions to this number originated during the IFIP Working Group 8.3 Working Conference under the same title, held in Noordwijkerhout, 16-18 June 1986. Sprague places DSS in context. He relates DSS to the design of information systems that try to improve the performance of information workers in organizations. He distinguishes between Type I and Type I I work, which is to be supported by information systems. Sol addresses conflicting experiences with DSS in the last decade. From there he proposes to focus attention of the DSS research track on environments that support decision making. Bosman picks up this line and poses the ques- tion how to structure 'networks' of specific DSS in order to improve organizational effectiveness. Subsequently, Bots and Sol present an environ- ment to support problem solving in complex organizations, seen as networks of information workers. They present a methodology, a work- bench and a shell to develop such environments. Gray looks at the concepts emerging in the last decade which are of key importance for the next one. He focusses on group DSS and comes out with a research agenda for this new field. Stabell presents alternative perspectives and schools on DSS. He distinguishes decision analy- sis, decision research and the implementation pro- cess as different tracks of research and applica- tion. He reveals that this distinction is more or less independent of the technology used. Keen~ finally looks at the shift in the news brought by DSS, where technology is no bot- tleneck anymore. Now we can focus on more active, intellectual modes of support. He offers a research agenda for the next decade, for such an agenda is 'essential to move DSS ahead and recap- ture the sense of excitement that attracted those of us who describe ourselves as part of the DSS movement and that is in danger of being lost. There is plenty of excitement for a second decade, but not if it is just the same extension of the first one'. Dr. Henk G. Sol Professor of Information Systems, Delft Universityof Technology North-Holland Decision Support Systems3 (1987) 195 0167-9236/87/$3.50 © 1987, ElsevierScience Publishers B.V. (North-Holland)

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Decision Support Systems: A Decade in Perspective

195

The roots of the notion Decision Support Systems can be traced back for more than one decade, although DSS seems to be still a new concept for many practitioners and researchers. In this perspective it is appropriate to ask what experiences we got so far, what promises came true, what issues are emerging.

This special issue seeks to answer these ques- tions by looking back to the last decade and looking into the new decade. The contributions to this number originated during the IFIP Working Group 8.3 Working Conference under the same title, held in Noordwijkerhout, 16-18 June 1986.

Sprague places DSS in context. He relates DSS to the design of information systems that try to improve the performance of information workers in organizations. He distinguishes between Type I and Type I I work, which is to be supported by information systems.

Sol addresses conflicting experiences with DSS in the last decade. From there he proposes to focus attention of the DSS research track on environments that support decision making.

Bosman picks up this line and poses the ques- tion how to structure 'networks' of specific DSS in order to improve organizational effectiveness.

Subsequently, Bots and Sol present an environ- ment to support problem solving in complex organizations, seen as networks of information

workers. They present a methodology, a work- bench and a shell to develop such environments.

Gray looks at the concepts emerging in the last decade which are of key importance for the next one. He focusses on group DSS and comes out with a research agenda for this new field.

Stabell presents alternative perspectives and schools on DSS. He distinguishes decision analy- sis, decision research and the implementation pro- cess as different tracks of research and applica- tion. He reveals that this distinction is more or less independent of the technology used.

Keen~ finally looks at the shift in the news brought by DSS, where technology is no bot- tleneck anymore. Now we can focus on more active, intellectual modes of support. He offers a research agenda for the next decade, for such an agenda is 'essential to move DSS ahead and recap- ture the sense of excitement that attracted those of us who describe ourselves as part of the DSS movement and that is in danger of being lost. There is plenty of excitement for a second decade, but not if it is just the same extension of the first one'.

Dr. Henk G. Sol Professor of Information Systems,

Delft University of Technology

North-Holland Decision Support Systems 3 (1987) 195