Grey Target Model Builds Group Consensus Through Limited Compromise and Tolerance

Researchers Qin Jiang, Yong Liu and Li-rui Xue have proposed a new consensus-building framework for group decision making, described in an open access article published in Complex & Intelligent Systems on 28 October 2026. The work, titled “Super conflict grey target negotiation consensus approach with limited compromises and tolerance behaviors,” introduces a super conflict grey target negotiation consensus model designed to reveal the complex nature of consensus building from the interests of both a moderator and the participating decision makers simultaneously.

The model draws on the concept of the bull’s-eye from grey target theory. In this framework, the opinions of individual decision makers are treated as bull’s-eyes, and their similarity is judged against these targets. By doing so, the authors transform the consensus-reaching process into a negotiation process, or in some settings a negotiation-coordination process. On this basis, they construct two types of grey target consensus models that structure how divergent opinions can be brought toward agreement.

A distinctive feature of the approach is its explicit treatment of human behavioral limits. The authors establish optimized consensus models that incorporate decision makers’ limited compromises and tolerance behaviors. According to the abstract, this allows the model to express each decision maker’s risk-appetite attitude toward the consensus opinion and their tolerance for adjustments made without compensation, rather than assuming unlimited willingness to move from an initial position.

To test the framework, the authors apply it to a case study, which they report verifies the validity of the proposed consensus model. The reported results indicate that the model can obtain a consensus opinion while realizing the maximum group satisfaction level by considering the interests of each individual participant. The authors further state that the approach guarantees the maximum utilities of the decision makers during the negotiation process and achieves the minimum consensus cost, with reasonable allocation of that cost among participants and maximum utilities for both the decision makers and the moderator.

The work sits within the broader field of group decision making, where reaching agreement among multiple parties with conflicting preferences is a central challenge. By framing consensus as a negotiation anchored in grey target theory and bounded by realistic behavioral constraints on compromise and tolerance, the model aims to balance individual and moderator interests in a single optimization framework. As the article is an open access original article in Complex & Intelligent Systems, the full methodological details, case study and results are available to readers through the journal.

Subject of Research: A grey target negotiation consensus model for group decision making that incorporates limited compromises and tolerance behaviors of decision makers.

Article Title: Super conflict grey target negotiation consensus approach with limited compromises and tolerance behaviors

Article References: Jiang, Q., Liu, Y., & Xue, L.-R. (2026). Super conflict grey target negotiation consensus approach with limited compromises and tolerance behaviors. Complex & Intelligent Systems. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40747-026-02563-2

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s40747-026-02563-2

Keywords: group decision making, consensus model, grey target theory, negotiation, limited compromise, tolerance behavior, moderator, decision makers, consensus cost, Complex & Intelligent Systems, Super, conflict