Research Developments of Group Decision and Negotiation in Latin America

Abstract

Group decision and negotiation (GDN) are present in any organization, particularly at the top management level of public and private organizations. Applications of GDN models may be found in a variety of situations, such as when undertaking strategic planning, and taking decisions on investments and on public policy in several issues, for instance in water management. Developments in GDN for Latin America (LA) include a diversity of practical application contexts and methodological topics marching the extent to which cultural issues are varied in LA. GDN processes have broadened the scope of GDN due to several cultural aspects. These stem from practical applications which have given insights into dealing with new methodological issues. The context in which these applications are conducted may have an important influence on procedures for aggregating group preferences, including the theoretical and methodological issues addressed. Some GDN studies in LA are related to the aggregation of experts’ knowledge, while others are associated with DMs’ preferences. That is, GDN processes may be related to aggregation or integration of either decisionmakers (DMs) or experts, which may represent different situations. While the aggregation of DMs generally is related to preferences on consequences (Leyva-Lopez and Fernandez-Gonzalez 2003; Espin et al. 2007; Zamora and Burguete 2008; Morais and de Almeida 2012), the aggregation of experts is associated with knowledge of a subject, generally focused on seeking consensus regarding the perception of that particular subject (Medina and