ODSS and the twilight of the decision support movement: social segmentation and the legacy of infrastructure

Abstract

The ODSS concept is new, and pulls into focus and into confusion aspects of the underlying decision support concept. The authors trace this concept's roots to the generalized management-as-decisionmaking (MAD) ideology that grew up following WW II and subsequently came to dominate many aspects of management thought. They liken the MAD movement to the medieval morality play, in both structure and evolution. The twilight of the MAD movement result from the same causes that eclipsed the morality play in the early days of the Renaissance. A review of ODSS literature from recent sources shows that the breakdown of the rhetoric of decision support corresponds to the general weakening of the MAD movement, and presages a rhetorical reconstruction of the aims and objectives of those who seek to apply information technologies to the social interactions among individuals and groups in organizations. They review the legacy of infrastructure left by the MAD and Decision Support movements, and make a general call for innovation and tolerance in the ongoing rhetorical reconstruction.>

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