Strategic behaviour in decision support systems: a conceptual framework for observation in multi-stakeholder decision-making processes

While DSS are designed to enhance transparency and provide structure in complex, multi-stakeholder settings, they also influence actions of participating stakeholders and thereby their strategic choices. This paper reviews the literature on SB and DSS, identifies diverse forms of strategic action, and proposes a five-step framework for systematically observing SB in DSS-supported processes and environments.The framework integrates contextual dynamics, stakeholder motivations, strategic approaches, and resource use, offering a structured and comprehensive lens for analysis. By focusing on how stakeholders engage strategically in practice, rather than prescribing how they should behave, the framework enables a nuanced and realistic understanding of stakeholder interaction, behaviour, and power in participatory settings. This conceptual contribution advances both academic and applied discussions by providing a tool that supports empirical investigation as well as the design and use of DSS in real-world decision-making contexts.