Decision Sciences Journal
Volume 28, Number 3
Summer 1997
Managing Delphi Surveys Using Nonparametric Statistical
Techniques
Roy C. Schmidt
Department of Information and Systems Management, School of
Business and Management, The Hong Kong University of Science and
Technology, Clearwater Bay, Sai Kung, Hong Kong, email: schmidt@uxmail.ust.hk
ABSTRACT
Information systems researchers have often turned to a variant of
the Delphi survey technique to support their research of key issues
in their field. Two particular weaknesses of past studies using
this approach have been a lack of a definitive method for
conducting the research and a lack of statistical support for the
conclusions drawn by the researchers. In this paper, the author
presents a method, based on nonparametric statistical techniques,
to conduct ranking-type Delphi surveys, perform analysis, and
report results. The author takes this one step further by
illustrating an actual analysis of a Delphi survey. The analysis is
compared to results that were presented without the benefit of the
author's approach. This paper shows that use of the advocated
approach can streamline and strengthen studies, improve the
validity of results, and thus better serve the consumers of the
research findings. Since the ranking-type Delphi is so popular
among information systems researchers, a consistent method is
needed to apply to their data collection, analysis, and reporting
of results. This paper provides such a method in concise form and
illustrates the use of the method in a manner affording comparison
between it and previous practice.
Subject Areas: Group Decision Making, Nonparametric
Statistics, Research Design, and Strategic Planning.
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