Managing consensus in balanced networks based on opinion and trust/distrust evolutions (Q6490349)

The paper presents managing consensus in balanced networks based on opinion and trust/distrust evolutions. The paper develops a solution framework of balanced network group decision making with an intertwined evolution of opinions and trust/distrust levels, which enriches the solution research of social network group decision making. The paper derives that different structures of balanced networks lead opinion dynamics to different stable results. Despite no consensus formed, it arrives at the final scopes of stable opinions in different balanced networks. The paper specifies the key role of opinion leaders in consensus reaching process, and devises leader-based adjustment strategies for consensus-reaching in different balanced networks by building minimum adjustments-based consensus models correspondingly. Some numerical examples are presented to illustrate the theoretical prediction.