Identify an experience when you had to make a significant decision
Decision making involves choosing the best course of action to take when presented with various options. Taking an example of a police officer, decision-making has a lot of challenges and in many instances, officers are required to make a decision on the best course of action to take. The challenges personnel in the law enforcement sector face include; the responsibility to protect others, internal stress caused by specific police department policies, risking their lives and health every day, working in long shifts conducting multiple arrests while on duty, maintaining the balance of being an officer and a parent, spouse or sibling.
Describe what happened during this experience
Considering what I have learned about the decision-making process, an individual has to seek advice from other senior people who have gone through the same situation before so as to make the right choice. In addition, before making a major decision an individual considers how its consequences will affect their lives. In cases where doing a specific thing will cause mental stress or depression, it is advisable to avoid taking that course of action.
How did you feel about the experience?
On campus, the most challenging decision a student has to make is choosing the field of study to pursue. Before joining campus there are various expectations of family and friends. Some friends expect one to be an accountant, a lawyer, or a surveyor. In addition, one’s family to have their own expectations since they may prefer certain universities to others. If one prefers a university or course that is against an individual’s family and friends expectations. It becomes difficult to choose an institution and the course. An individual has to choose a specific institution where they will pursue the desired course for instance to train to be a police officer at a specific institution (Kahneman & Tversky, 2011).
What assumptions and decisions did you make?
The impact this experience has on an individual is feeling that it is not the best decision to make. One might feel like they have made a wrong decision in their lives. A police officer might look at the career paths that former schoolmates have decided to take so as to find out if they are doing well or not in their endeavors.
What have you learned about applying models and theories?
After making a tough decision in life it is imperative for one to be able to accept the consequences. Assumptions have to be made sometimes before an individual makes a decision. A police officer is faced with tough decisions at all times. In some instances, officers are forced to take a life or witness very graphic and horrific images and afterward, they have no one to debrief them on what happened (Wopereis & Sloep 2010).
What have you learned about yourself? How will you use this in the future in your studies, and in business?
The decision-making models include the rational model, Simon’s normative model, and the group decision-making model. The theories of decision making that are applicable include conventional theory, the non-conventional theory, and Levi’s decision-making theory (Ethics Resource Center 2013). I have learned that to apply the rational model of decision making and the group decision-making model by consulting a lot before making an important choice this enables me to get different opinions and views before doing anything. More so, I identify a dilemma that faces me and then I try to find out various ways I can deal with it and I choose the best course of action to take out of the available alternatives.
What do you need to develop to improve your performance? How?
In the future, all the knowledge I have acquired in decision making will enable me to make appropriate decisions in my studies and in business. The most important thing I have learned is never to make an important life decision in a rush or when angry. It is appropriate to make a decision with an open mind and after thinking.
Police officers should be objective and not emotional when making decisions. In addition, an officer should make decisions on time since in various life situations a specific time frame is given to make a decision especially when an officer is on duty or in the field. As much as an individual should take the time to make a decision sometimes deadlines are set and they should be met, especially when working in law enforcement as a police officer or military personnel. Deadlines can only be met by being creative and thinking critically so as to be able to make the best decisions always.
Reference List
Ethics Resource Center 2013. Web.
Kahneman, D & Tversky, A 2011. Choice, Values, Frames. The Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Wopereis, I & Sloep, P 2010, ‘Weblogs as instruments for reflection on action in teacher education’. Interactive Learning Environments Vol. 18. No. 3, pp. 201-235.