Combining MCDA and conflict analysis: an exploratory application of an integrated approach

The majority of personal and organizational problems are multiparty and multi-criteria in nature; that is, they involve conflicts among people and conflicts among goals. The ability to support, in a OR/MS sense, the resolution of such complex problems calls for the exploitation of the complementary features of multiple established methods. In this exploratory paper, the authors focus on an integrated use of Drama Theory and MCDA. The aim is to develop an integrated framework for multi-actor, multicriteria decision aid that extends each of the existing methodologies and exploits their potential for synergy with a view to providing more effective decision support, on a uni-lateral or multi-lateral basis, to parties embroiled in such circumstances. The descriptive analysis of a live issue documents the approach and demonstrates the potential for such a framework and the benefits that could arise.