An Evolutionary Strategy for Implementing a Decision Support System

This paper investigates two alternative strategies for implementing Decision Support Systems (DSS): evolutionary and traditional. The evolutionary approach utilizes judgement modeling (boot strapping) as a means to create felt need, to provide insight into the decision process and the implied weighting of decision variables, and to establish a learning-based, participatory implementation strategy. In contrast, the traditional approach is characterized by a problem solving orientation wherein the DSS is portrayed as providing a valuable “product” that can be theoretically justified. Decision making in a simulated production environment is used to test the alternative strategies. Decision style is also included in the experimental design. Results indicate significantly higher utilization of the DSS with the evolutionary approach. Decision style findings are consistent with reported research.