Decision conferencing

Perhaps one of the oldest forms of computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) is decision conferencing: a two- or three-day meeting involving a work group of key players who are helped by an outside facilitator and some computer modelling of participants' judgments to address important issues of concern to their organisation. Unlike other approaches to CSCW, decision conferencing is decidedly people-centred: participants do not have direct access to computers and communicate by talking to each other as in an ordinary meeting. Usually only one computer is used, and its main function is to support modelling of the issues as the participants see them.<>