Coordinating distributed group multiple criteria decision-making processes: preliminary results from a laboratory experiment

This paper presents an experimental study which explores the effects of different coordination methods on outcomes of distributed group decision-making processes. We adapt two methods: parallel and sequential, which represent loosely and tightly coupled coordination methods in terms of system structure imposed by GDSS on distributed group MCDM processes. The laboratory experiment with 84 senior undergraduate students shows that loosely coupled method yields higher users' satisfaction, while the tightly coupled method produces the better group decisions. These findings suggest that structures embedded in GDSS should be flexible.