Fuzzy Decision-Making Approaches in Complex Systems

Fuzzy decision-making integrates the principles of fuzzy set theory with established decision-analysis frameworks to navigate ambiguity and uncertainty in complex systems. By allowing partial membership values rather than binary classifications, fuzzy methodologies capture nuanced expert judgments and imprecise data. Core approaches include fuzzy extensions of Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques such as DEMATEL for mapping cause-effect relationships, EDAS for ranking alternatives based on their distance from an average solution, and hybrid models combining fuzzy logic with analytic network processes. These methods have been applied across domains—from automated vehicles and smart infrastructure to organisational management and environmental planning—enabling stakeholders to identify critical factors, model interdependencies and derive robust recommendations under vagueness. The global significance lies in improving resilience of complex socio-technical systems, optimising resource allocation and shaping adaptive strategies in fields as diverse as healthcare delivery, transport safety and sustainable development.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Research from all publishers

Recent studies have demonstrated the utility of fuzzy DEMATEL in organisational and engineering settings. One investigation applied a fuzzy DEMATEL framework to human-resource challenges in start-up companies, identifying key causal factors that influence HR practice selection and guiding resource allocation under subjective expert assessments. In the automotive domain, a combined DEMATEL and fuzzy DEMATEL approach evaluated interactions between safety and cybersecurity management systems in automated vehicles, revealing critical influence pathways and offering a visualised model to enhance system integration. A comprehensive survey of developments in the EDAS method has charted its evolution and applications across agriculture, energy, healthcare and supply-chain management, highlighting novel fuzzy extensions and advising practitioners on handling incomplete information and stakeholder preferences in multicriteria evaluations.

Fuzzy Decision-Making Approaches in Complex Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in fuzzy decision-making approaches in complex systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Fuzzy set: A collection in which elements have degrees of membership between zero and one, representing uncertainty.

Fuzzy logic: A form of many-valued logic for reasoning under imprecise or vague information.

DEMATEL: Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory, a method to model and visualise cause-effect relationships within complex systems.

EDAS: Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution, a multicriteria ranking method that assesses alternatives by their distance from an average attribute performance.

MCDM: Multi-Criteria Decision Making, a process for evaluating and prioritising alternatives based on multiple conflicting criteria.

References

1. A fuzzy DEMATEL decision modeling framework for identifying key human resources challenges in start-up companies: Implications for sustainable development. Decision Analytics Journal (2023).
2. An application of DEMATEL and fuzzy DEMATEL to evaluate the interaction of safety management system and cybersecurity management system in automated vehicles. Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence (2023).
3. A state-of-the-art survey of evaluation based on distance from average solution (EDAS): Developments and applications. Expert Systems with Applications (2023).