I have a part-time job where at least two weeks of a winter vacation is provided, however, my employer would not pay for them. Moreover, the shifts that would be replaced with my resting period mean lower salary for the next month. Considering these crucial factors, I had to decide when and for how long should I take my vacation to avoid further financial difficulties. This paper aims to analyze rational and non-rational models I applied in decision-making and reflect on the chosen approaches’ outcomes on my experience.
People’s everyday choices determine the quality of their lives, therefore it is crucial to treat the decision-making process responsibly. The right course of action can be analytically identified after the possible consequences’ evaluation or be discovered unconsciously with intuition (Kinicki and Williams 241). The first system is rational, and the second one is the non-rational one due to their nature of making a choice (Kinicki and Williams 242). My decision for the proper vacation period could be found by applying both approaches, however, the consequences of the non-rational choice would be severe.
I needed to achieve the balance between the resting period and financial stability, thus I applied a rational decision-making model at first. Four stages have to be used in that process: problem or opportunity identification, alternative solutions’ research, evaluation of them, and implementation of the chosen one (Kinicki and Williams 242). Vacation is an opportunity to recharge to increase my productivity, and it should not be sacrificed for the sake of money, yet it can be taken with the least financial consequences. I listed the possible variations: take whole two weeks during Christmas, divide vacation and take one part each month, or get a half during the Holidays, and another later in February. After evaluating and considering my usual working schedule, I’ve decided to apply for the third option. I implemented that solution because I had extra money from annual working bonuses and was able to plan more shifts before February so that I have enough during and after the vacation.
The non-rational approach of choosing the right vacation option also took place while I was looking for the optimal solution. Satisficing and intuition are the two models of that system, and they often replace rational decision-making because they are less complicated and time-consuming (Kinicki and Williams 244). I applied the intuitive method as I felt that the rest must be taken, and I cannot reject vacations. My fear of financial insecurity was the bias present during the decision-making process.
I learned that it is crucial to consider multiple alternatives and evaluate them objectively and separately before choosing the optimal one. Moreover, it is complicated to apply the rational decision-making system because personal wants, biases, intuition, and the lack of information still might affect the course of action’s selection. My decision was not right because, after one half of my vacation, I understood that it was not enough, and I could seek financial support in case of any difficulties. The lack of alternatives on the second stage of my rational model application led me to make not the best choice. I could not generate more solutions because of personal constraints such as bias, values, and attitudes towards financial regulation. Although the rational approach was utilized in my decision-making process, it was rather non-rational in the end. Next time, I will create more alternatives, ask myself if I have any subjective factors that might force me to make a wrong choice, evaluate solutions, and consider a decision that feels intuitively right for me.
Reference
Kinicki, Angelo, and Brian K. Williams. Management: A Practical Introduction. 9th ed., McGraw-Hill Education, 2019.