Free Essay On Rational Decision-Making Model

Decision making is never a simple fact as one has to take into consideration different factors before coming to the final option that will guide him or her to make the best decision. The quality of a decision one makes depends highly on the process of making it in addition to the alternatives solutions identified for the problem. Thereby, the decisions made by Rick in the movie Casablanca reflects on how quality decisions making happens and the effect it has on the lives of those affected in the process and after (Robbins and Judge 56).
As the film begins, it is evident that rick is not willing to have himself in a compromising position or care about others. He even says that he does not want to meddle in something that does not concern him. However, it becomes apparent that this is not the case when he sticks out his neck for different individuals as the film ends. The fact that Rick was in love with Isa and her arrival in Casablanca acted as a catalyst to the decision making process Rick had to make as events that called for hard decisions called for him to act. The major decision he makes is giving back Isa to her husband Laszlo despite the love he has for her. The first thing he did before coming to the conclusion he did was identifying that his anger and resentment for Ilsa was groundless. Ilsa explains to him the reason why they did not leave Paris together and as a result, he understands why she left him; not because she did not love him, but because she had to save his life. He was neutral, but was now taking sides as his resentment and anger faded away. He is forced to make a choice because Ilsa and Laszlo arrived in Casablanca and the fact that he accidentally has possession over the letters of transit. Therefore, he knows that more important things should come as a priority rather than his feelings and his broken heart. Ilsa is more concerned about the defeat of the Nazis and this changes Rick’s perception of the whole situation. The way Laszlo is willing to sacrifice his life and love for his wife Ilsa is also an eye opener for Rick as he finds out that being in love does not warranty that one should be together with that person. Tough decisions need to be made that does not always favour everyone (Robbins and Judge 67). Therefore, the ultimate sacrifice he makes by confessing that he is not in love with Ilsa anymore, which is not true, is his way of ensuring that the larger population is saved from the Nazis and that the two are able to get away from Casablanca.
The textbook provides a clear indication of the steps of decision making using the rational model. The book has a total of six steps that helps one making a decision. The first step is defining the problem. In this case, Rick is faced with the issue of having to either remain apolitical or overcome his own personal interest and stick out for others. This is evident in how he has to understand the reasons why Ilsa abandoned him as she was not looking out for herself, but for him and her husband who was fighting against the Nazis. The next step in the rational decision making model is the decision making criteria where one has to make decisions based on the relevant factors for the whole process. Here, one has to identify their personal interests, their values and what might be best for others. Rick was faced with tough decisions. He had the transit letters and Ilsa wanted the letters in order to get away with her Husband. Many of his interests were at stake. First he was in love with Ilsa and he had just discovered that she loved him despite the fact that she abandoned him. There was also the fact that he was not interested in sticking out and taking sides in the fight against the Nazis. Therefore, he had to weigh his interest and make a decision on which he was looking out for in the situation. With the fading away of the resent and anger that he had used to mask his true self, he was now open and his true self, as a fighter and a highly sentimental individual.
The next step in the decision making process model is to weigh the criterion identified above in order to come up with the most important aspects of the situation facing him (Robbins and Judge 59). Rick was faced with a tough choice to make whether to let his anger control his action or let his love for Ilsa guide him to make the right choice. Thereby, he had to make a choice on which side to support. Being in the middle meant that he had to compromise and sacrifice in order to help out the lager public rather than pursue his own interests. He discovers that he had to get Laszlo out of prison and he has to make a choice between the couple escaping or framing Laszlo in order to remain with Isla. The next step in the model is generating alternatives that can solve the problem. In this case, Rick had to identify all the possible ways that could help him solve the problem. One of the alternatives was to follow his own selfish interests and refuse to hand over the transit letter Isla and Lazlo and give them to the authorities. The other alternative was to keep up with his non-interest in whatever was happening around him by sticking to his anger. The last alternative was to defy authority and ensure the escape of the couple that would further strengthen the fight against the Nazis.
The next step is evaluating the different alternatives and the criterion selected for the process. Therefore, Rick was faced with the work of having to critically assess each of the alternatives and the effects it would have on each of the characters (Robbins and Judge 58). The strengths and weaknesses of each alternative was something he had to work on before reaching a conclusion on the best course of action to take. The last step according to the model is computing and then coming to a final decision based on the alternative with the highest score after evaluation. The decision Rick made was for the benefit of the lager public. He chose to let go of the woman he was in love with just to ensure that the Nazis were defeated. He made an ultimate sacrifice.
In conclusion, decision making is not a simple thing and everyone is faced this task every day. One has to make a choice and the selected choice determines how that person is going to act. Therefore, the different steps outlined in the model apply to the everyday lives of individuals. One has to determine the best course of action even if it means hurting others or oneself in the process. The motive is to achieve a bigger goal that one’s own objectives. It entails sacrificing as seen in the case of Rick who makes a decision that does not favour their love, but the community fighting against the Nazis.

Works Cited

Robbins, Stephen P. and Timothy A. Judge. Essentials of Organizational Behavior. New York:
Pearson, Prentice Hall, 2014. Print.