Modern organizations operate under increasing levels of time pressure: While the volume of information increases due to advanced communication and information processing technologies, the time allowed for deliberation and decisions is growing shorter. It is a commonly held belief, supported by many empirical studies, that decisions made under time pressure are inferior, in many respects, to those made under more benign circumstances. While advances in information technology are a major contributor to time pressure, appropriate design of information systems could improve decision making under time pressure. This project involves an experiment designed to study how decision support systems can remedy some of the detrimental effects of time pressure on decision making. This can be achieved by designing a decision support system that either structures the decision process for the decision maker or that guides the decision maker to use a more structured decision process. Results are expected to provide both practical guidelines for the design of decision aids to be used in time pressure environments, and theoretical insights into decision behavior under time pressure. The study is viewed also as a springboard for a research program on the incorporation of decision aids in individual and group decision making under time pressure.
