Possibility Distribution-Based Approach for MAGDM With Hesitant Fuzzy Linguistic Information

In group decision making (GDM) with qualitative settings, experts may require several possible linguistic values rather than a single term to express their preferences. A hesitant fuzzy linguistic term set has recently been developed to manage this situation. In line with this development, in this paper, we present a new framework model to address multiple attribute GDM with hesitant fuzzy linguistic information. First, the concept of a possibility distribution is defined. Based on the possibility distributions, some aggregation operators such as the hesitant fuzzy linguistic weighted average operator and the hesitant fuzzy linguistic ordered weighted average operator are proposed. A consensus measure is then defined and a consensus reaching process is given which uses different identification and direction rules compared with the existing methods. A selection process is also described to rank the alternatives. Both processes are necessary to support stakeholders when making rational decisions. Finally, two simulated examples are given to verify the practicability of the proposed approach.