Group SolutionS: GSS and community informatics

Group SolutionS is a dedicated research, teaching, and consulting unit functioning within Central Queensland University that assists groups to address operational and planning problems. The increasing use of Group Support Systems (GSS) techniques confirms the unit’s broad commitment to community informatics in the interest of furthering facilitated decision making processes. Located in the Rockhampton CBD, Group SolutionS utilises two distinct GSS formats as permanent installations. The first system, the Grouputer® - an Australian development, includes a fully portable kit to support field situations or meetings at a client’s site. The second system, MeetingWorks®, is based on methods under development in the United States. The co-location of these two forms of GSS provides an ideal opportunity to gauge the relative merits of different approaches with groups or teams. Such an operating perspective engenders both creativity and serendipity, acknowledged cornerstones in innovative practice. Armed with a simple brief expressed as a “commitment to helping groups solve problems”, Group SolutionS is establishing a foothold as a dedicated local service provider. Group SolutionS can be located at the following URL: http://gss.cqu/edu.au.