Title: The logic of a command methodology: decision conferencing reconceptualised

Authors: John de Reuck, Olive Schmidenberg, Des Klass

Addresses: School of Business, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Austalia. Graduate School of Business, Curtin University of Technology, 30th Floor, QV1 Building, 250 St George's Tce, Perth, Western Australia 6000, Australia. Graduate School of Business, Curtin University of Technology, 30th Floor, QV1 Building, 250 St George's Tce, Perth, Western Australia 6000, Australia

Abstract: This paper seeks to develop the theory of Decision Conferencing and thus to enhance the capability of this group decision support system. Identified as under-theorised are: (a) the idea of instrumental rationality underpinning the modelling process, (b) the role of power in groups, (c) the definition of ||the group|| and (d) the goals of the process. The authors discuss the problems experienced in their practice of Decision Conferencing which led to the development of their ||Command Methodology||, founded on the Habermasian concept of communicative rationality and a methodologically individual view of the group. This reformulation allows the issue of power to be explicitly theorised and the goals of Decision Conferencing to be redefined. The authors discuss the implications of the Command Methodology for the conduct and facilitation of Decision Conference workshops, and describe the conditions and procedures for its application.

Keywords: group decision support systems; decision conference; strategic planning; theory of decision conferencing; Habermas; rationality; strategic design support.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMDM.2000.001215

International Journal of Management and Decision Making, 2000 Vol.1 No.1, pp.2-13

Published online: 01 Jul 2003 *

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