A Laboratory Study On Group Decision-making From The Perspective Of Functional Theory

As an important theoretical branch in philosophy, functional theory is applied in many fields of scientific research. A typical explanation to functional theory is that it is to explain the capacities of a complex whole system in terms of the capacities of its parts. It can be useful when it is applied to group research. Because a group can be considered as a dynamic system with some goals, input, process and output. The input and process will influence the output of a group and the goals of a group as well. In addition, compared to other theories applied to social science, functional theory has its own advantages in the aspect of empirical manipulation.This study focuses on computer-mediated group decision-making from the functional perspective, also investigating the effects of task characteristics including task value demand and task information demand. The main conclusions of this study include: (1) When the task information demand is higher, the functions of discussion are more significantly related to decision performance. (2) When the task value demand is higher, the functions of discussion are more significantly related to decision performance. (3) Compared to face-to-face communication, the functions of discussion are more significantly related to decision performance in computer-mediated communication. (4) Satisfaction with results of group members can be predicted by functions basically the same as those functions predicting the results. (5) Satisfaction with content and with the procedure of discussion can be predicted by the interpersonal influence within the decision group.In conclusion, when the decision task is much more difficult and the communication environment is not so certain, the functions turn out to be more important. These results can give us some suggestions. On one hand, if we pay enough attention to the discussion functions when we make decisions in life, perhaps we can improve performance of the decision. On the other hand, when researchersdevelop the group decision support system, it will be also helpful to consider the functions of the discussion, referring to the findings of this study.