A Group Consensus Reaching Method Considering Satisfaction of Decision Makers with Distributed Preference Relations

Abstract

In multi-criteria group decision-making, how to generate a consensus-based solution that is satisfactory to most of the decision makers, is always a critical research issue. In this paper, with consideration of the satisfaction levels of decision makers, a new group consensus reaching method with distributed preference relations (DPRs) is proposed to generate the consensus-based solution with high satisfaction level. In the proposed method, the consensus measurement of DPRs is constructed in terms of decision makers’ risk attitudes to help justify whether the predefined consensus requirement is satisfied. Afterwards, the satisfaction level of each decision maker on each criterion is constructed from the differences between assessments and rankings provided by decision makers and those aggregated by a group of decision makers. Based on the satisfaction levels of decision makers, a new feedback mechanism including identification rules and direction rules is designed to generate acceptable recommendations to decision makers who may need to modify their opinions. The modified opinions will help to generate the consensus-based solution that is satisfactory to most of the decision makers. To demonstrate the applicability and validity of the proposed consensus reaching method, a real case of evaluating safety performance of an enterprise is investigated.