Coordinator support in a nemawashi decision process

There is a growing body of literature concerned with computerized support of distributed decision making. However, support for the distinctive Japanese way of distributed decision making has yet to be considered. at the heart of this decision making approach is nemawashi and the attendant ringi. A key role in a nemawashi decision process is that of a coordinator who endeavors to achieve a consensus, prepares informal and formal documents, and circulates the latter for consent. Here, the authors introduce a very flexible mathematical model to support the nemawashi process. This descriptive model, based in part on MCDM notions, accommodates a variety of coordinator strategies pertinent to different decision situations by considering participant preferences and influences. Such a model provides the foundation for understanding, designing, and implementing coordinator support systems to facilitate distributed decision making in Japanese organizations.