Empirical Study of KMS Impact on Decision Support

This empirical study was carried out to investigate the impact of ICT-based knowledge management systems (KMS) of varying sophistication on decision support in varying decision contexts. The results indicate that the positive impact of KMS sophistication was limited to simple decision contexts only. In simple contexts, the availability of more sophisticated KMS led to more intensive balanced use of the available functions and features which resulted in improved decision quality, confidence and satisfaction. In contrast, greater KMS sophistication made no difference to system usage behaviour and decision performance in complex contexts. Such findings provide much needed empirical support for the proper fit between technology-orientated decision aids and simple decision contexts. Future research is needed to determine suitable solutions for complex contexts.