Organizational support for decision support systems

Fifty-five organizations in which decision support systems (DSS) are used were surveyed to determine how they are supporting DSS activity. The findings provide insights about the extent to which DSS activity is being supported, which organizational units are providing support, the types and frequency of support provided, the organizational units and management levels that receive support and how often it is provided, and the perceived quality of the support. Typically, DSS support is available through between one and four locations in an organization. Personnel working at different levels in their organizations and in different functional areas have distinct patterns of use of DSS support services.