Decision-making Method for Criteria Separation in Knowledge Management under Single-valued Neutrosophic Settings

Knowledge Management (KM) plays a vital role in enhancing organizational performance, competitiveness, and long-term sustainability. Nevertheless, the assessment of KM remains challenging due to the complex interrelationships among multiple criteria, often characterized by uncertainty, vagueness, and conflicting expert opinions. To address these challenges, this study applies the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method within a single-valued neutrosophic set (SVNS) environment to examine the causal structure of KM criteria. The use of neutrosophic sets enables the simultaneous consideration of truth, falsity, and indeterminacy, providing a more comprehensive and realistic representation of uncertainty compared to classical and fuzzy set approaches. In this study, eight KM criteria are identified and evaluated based on linguistic judgments obtained from five domain experts. These evaluations are transformed into an initial pairwise comparison matrix, which serves as the foundation for the SVNS-DEMATEL analysis. The results classify six criteria into the cause group and two into the effect group, indicating the dominant driving factors within the KM system. Furthermore, communication is identified as the most influential criterion affecting other KM components. The findings offer valuable insights into the interdependencies among KM criteria and provide practical guidance for organizations seeking to prioritize and strengthen their KM strategies through informed decision-making.