Large-scale group-hierarchical DEMATEL method for complex systems

Existing Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) methods are mostly suitable for simple systems with fewer factors, and lack effective integration of expert knowledge and experience from large-scale group populations, resulting in a potential compromise of the quality of the initial direct relation (IDR) matrix. To make DEMATEL better suited for the identification of critical factors in complex systems, this paper proposes a hierarchical DEMATEL method for large-scale group decision-making. Considering the limitations of expert knowledge and experience, a method based on expert consistency network for constructing the expert weight matrix is designed. The expert consistency network is constructed for different elements, and the weights of experts in different elements are determined using the clustering coefficient. Following the principles of the classic DEMATEL method, the steps for identifying key elements in complex systems using the large-scale group-hierarchical DEMATEL method are summarized. To objectively test the effectiveness and superiority of the decision algorithm, the robustness of the algorithm is analyzed in an interference environment. Finally, the superiority of the proposed method and algorithm is verified through a case study, which demonstrating that the proposed decision-making method is suitable for group decision-making in complex systems, with high algorithm stability and low algorithm deviation.