GSSs have the potential to help autocratic groups significantly improve the decision making processes. However, the same autocratic power structures seem to discourage GSS use. If this is true, the overall effectiveness of GSS for groups will be very limited. Unfortunately, not enough is known about why groups use or don't use GSSs. This is particularly true of executive groups, who may be key to the diffusion of GSS technology. The objective of this research is to understand GSS use by executive grouts. The literature on GSS suggests that three factors may explain use: task, technology, and group characteristics. We are using Adaptive Structuration on Theory as a general framework to understand continued use of GSS by executives. Our study will produce a model of why executives use or don't use GSS. We are using a case study approach to build a group level model that explains GSS use. The case study method is the most appropriate method for building theory in natural settings. Our data includes observation and interview notes, and a transcript of a GSS meeting with an executive group. We analyze the data using grounded theory methods. Preliminary results suggest that the lower structure has a strong bearing on GSS use. In our case, the strongly engrained power structure led the group to approach each task in a strongly autocratic way. The task approach, in turn, conflicted with the group's perception of the GSS technology's `spirit'.