Army officers learn from the onset of their careers the important role they play as problem solvers. The military institutions tasked with providing education to leaders spend vast amounts of time teaching the Army Problem Solving Process. With that being said, Army officers at all ranks would be better served if they were able to incorporate the elements of thought as defined by Drs. Paul & Elder into the military decision-making process. Although encompassed within the Army problem solving process, officers often fail to identify and incorporate the tenets of thought when making decisions resulting in potentially adverse consequences. The following examples will highlight how a failure to incorporate elements of thought into the decision-making …show more content…
The regulation governing the wear and appearance of the Army uniform had changed to reflect a revised tattoo policy. Under the new revision, Soldiers were not authorized tattoos that showed below the elbows and knees or above the neckline. Though many Soldiers currently serving would be grandfathered under the new policy, others, specifically enlisted Soldiers, would be prohibited from attending commissioning schools under the new rules. When Army leadership identified tattoos as an issue, they failed to thoroughly understand the implications that would follow. If tattoos were not an issue of professionalism during the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan when the Army desperately needed Soldiers, then why the need to change the regulations? Injecting key elements of thought into the decision-making process like better defining the purpose for the change and relating to opposing points of view may have allowed leaders to approach the issue in a way where the implications and consequences of such action could be fully realized. Ultimately, Army leaders reversed course and reverted back to the previous tattoo policy that had applied in the earlier AR …show more content…
Take the case of Major Charles Slider, a distinguished Armor Officer with vast combat experience and numerous awards as a result of his heroic actions in combat. A one-time lapse of judgment resulting in a DUI cost him his military career. As correctly stated by Major Slinger himself, “instead of using judgment and common sense in determining the number of officers required for service, an arbitrary number was provided” thereby creating “a system in which officers were selected based on a mistake rather than their overall contributions to the Army.” This one-time lapse in judgment should not have been construed as a pattern of misconduct resulting in Major Slinger’s selection under the