How to observe strategic behaviour in decision-making environments

Strategic behaviour (SB) is critical in multi-stakeholder decision-making processes and influences negotiations and outcomes. SB is defined as the behaviour of stakeholders aiming to maximise their own goals and interests by influencing the outcomes in a decision-making environment. Although there are many publications on SB, there is a gap in understanding how decision environments influence such behaviours, with a specific focus on Decision Support Systems (DSS). This literature review aims to identify and analyse the key aspects of SB in decision-making processes and environments, specifically within the context of Decision Support Systems (DSS). This study adopts a narrative approach to identify the most relevant publications related to the research topic in the Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect databases. It should be mentioned that a literature search is conducted for each individual topic: (1) strategic behaviour, (2) DSS, and then (3) the intersection of Strategic behaviour and DSS. This literature review provided a comprehensive understanding of the SBs through different perspectives and categorisations. Moreover, it led to the identification of 11 actions that can be considered as SB: (a) withholding information, (b) selectively sharing information, gathering information, (c) misrepresentation, (d) bluffing, (e) exaggerating, (f) tit-for-that, (g) opposing, (h) keeping options open, (i) coupling issues, and (j) framing. Next to SB, a similar search process with a narrative approach was conducted to find the most relevant publications in the field of DSS, which are computer-based information systems designed to assist decision-makers in solving semi-structured or unstructured problems by providing data, models, and analytical tools (e.g., Preference-Based Accommodation Strategy (PAS)). The findings of the research show that research in both DSS and SB has mainly focused on how DSS can aid strategic decision-making or develop mechanisms resilient to strategic manipulation. However, there is a lack of understanding of the actual behaviours of users interacting with DSS and how to observe them. Thus, this research led to the understanding that there is a gap in gasping how SBs develop within DSS use. Future research could focus on filling this gap by using the actions (outcomes of this research) in the decision-making processes within DSS systems.