An Interactive Approach to Classification

Classification, entangled with obscurity and complexity, is not a task performed with ease. The obscurity in differentiating empirical taxonomy from conceptual typology plus the complexity of people’s perceptions as well as the difficulty in developing a versatile approach—all impinge on the path towards settling a classification structure grounded in consensus. This paper reviews the conventional approach and the prevailing approach to dealing with classification, scrutinizes the fundamental structures of classification and puts forward Interactive Management as a mechanism for unfolding the hierarchical structure of classification through a participatory and disciplined way. A case study—relating to structuring the value model of precision grinding machines in a multicriteria decision making context—demonstrates the manifold structures in classification, and demonstrates the establishment of consensus on classification structure from different participants’ perceptions, rather than a single designer’s preference.