While the Gibbs Reflective Cycle isn't directly designed for making decisions, it can act as a powerful tool to inform and improve future decision-making through critical self-reflection. Here's how:
Stages of the Gibbs Cycle:
2. Feelings: You explore your emotional response to the situation and decision.
3. Evaluation: You analyze the decision's outcome, considering both positive and negative aspects.
4. Analysis: You delve deeper, identifying factors that influenced the decision, including knowledge, biases, and external factors.
5. Conclusion: You draw insights from the experience, recognizing what went well and areas for improvement.
6. Action Plan: You formulate concrete steps to apply your learnings to future decision-making.
Working Example:
Scenario: You accepted a new job based on promises of exciting projects and growth opportunities. After starting, you realize the reality is different, with repetitive tasks and limited learning.
Applying the Gibbs Cycle:
1. Description: Detail the job interview, promises made, and your initial excitement.
2. Feelings: Identify your current disappointment, frustration, and maybe even feelings of being misled.
3. Evaluation: Analyze the pros and cons of the job in terms of responsibilities, skills development, and overall satisfaction.
4. Analysis: Consider your priorities and expectations at the time of the decision, along with any biases towards certain factors.
5. Conclusion: Acknowledge the valuable lesson learned about not solely relying on verbal promises in future job evaluations.
6. Action Plan: Formulate steps to address the situation, like talking to your manager, exploring professional development options within the company, or actively searching for a new job that better aligns with your needs.
Impact on Decision-Making:
By reflecting on this experience through the Gibbs Cycle, you gain valuable insights for future decisions. You will:
Develop a more critical eye when evaluating opportunities and promises.
Prioritize factors like personal growth and job satisfaction beyond just initial excitement.
Ask deeper questions during interviews and conduct thorough research before accepting a job.
Become more self-aware of your biases and decision-making tendencies.
The cycle encourages learning from experience and applying those learnings to make better choices in the future, ultimately improving your decision-making skills and confidence.
Remember, the Gibbs Cycle is a flexible tool you can adapt to any situation where you wish to learn from past experiences and improve future outcomes. By applying it to decision-making, you can gain valuable insights and make more informed choices that align with your goals and values.
