A Framework for Addressing Group Judgment Biases with Group Technology

Abstract:

Systematic biases have been found in both individual and group judgments, calling for research into debiasing approaches. Although individual debiasing has been studied to some extent, no such effort exists for group debiasing. This paper advocates the use of group support systems (GSS) for group debiasing and presents a theoretical perspective on how this debiasing may be achieved. Special attention is paid to two important judgment biases: representativeness bias and availability bias. A research model is developed from which propositions are derived.

Key Words and Phrases:

• availability bias
• debiasing
• decision-making bias
• group support systems
• represenatativeness bias

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lai-Huat Lim

Lai-Huat Lim is a Lecturer in the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science, National University of Singapore. Dr. Lim received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and master’s degree in MIS from the National University of Singapore, and his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia. His current research interests include negotiation support systems, group support systems, and managerial issues pertaining to collaborative technology.

Izak Benbasat

Izak Benbasat is CANFOR Professor of Management Information Systems at the Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration, University of British Columbia. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. His research interests include evaluating human-computer interfaces, investigating the influence of decision support tools on problem-solving strategies, the use of explanations in expert systems, and comparing methods for conducting information systems research.