Maximizing the Operational Leader's Potential Towards Intuitive Decision Making
Abstract
Future Marine leaders can better optimize their intuitive decision making abilities through education and training improvements focused on key skills identified by research. Success in war requires quick and competent decision making. Commanders use different decision-making models, including analytical and intuitive. This paper defines intuitive decision making as the ability to perceive or know useful military actions quickly without conscious effort. Experienced leaders and current research provide insight into the skills required for intuitive decision making. Marines can gain essential skills and experience through vicarious means of education, including war gaming, combat simulations, and battlefield visualization techniques. To foster the right experience, the Marines should leverage technology to make learning fun, applicable, practical, easy to set up, and inexpensive. To groom future warfighters, the Marines should implement rigorous decision making education and training techniques that include changing situations, time pressure, and friction. The Marines also should ensure that decision making education and training exercises include the following: (1) competent facilitators, (2) an operational/tactical scenario, (3) incomplete information, (4) duress, (5) dilemmas to force decisions, (6) decision justification, (7) critiques, and (8) repetition. After 10-15 years of practical, motivational education and training, Marine leaders will develop competent intuitive decision making ability.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA529202
Entities
People
- Russell W. Scott Iii
Organizations
- Marine Corps University