The concept is just as powerful when applied to business. But even among critics, his OODA loop was much harder to dismiss. Boyd himself, a cigar-smoking maverick, enjoyed distinctive unpopularity in official Pentagon circles. The product of a singular, half-century-long journey through the realms of science, history, and moral philosophy, Boyd’s ideas both augment and challenge conventional thinking about organizations and conflict. Operating “inside” an adversary’s OODA loop - that is, acting quickly to outthink and outmaneuver rivals - will, Boyd wrote, “make us appear ambiguous, thereby generate confusion and disorder.” But it’s also an elegant framework for creating competitive advantage.

On the face of it, Boyd’s loop is a simple reckoning of how human beings make tactical decisions. Then he focused his tenacious intellect on something grander, an expression of agility that, for him and others, became a consuming passion: the OODA loop. In the 1970s, he helped design and champion the F-16, an aluminum manifestation of everything he knew about competition. His unfailing ability to win any dogfight in 40 seconds or less earned him his nickname: “40 Second” Boyd.īoyd applied his intuitive understanding of energy maneuverability to the study of aeronautics. Air Force fighter pilot - cocky even by fighter-pilot standards - he issued a standing challenge to all comers: Starting from a position of disadvantage, he’d have his jet on their tail within 40 seconds, or he’d pay out $40. He knew it instinctively in the early 1950s when, as a young U.S. Agility is the essence of strategy in war and in business. You have to decode the environment before he does, act decisively, and then capitalize on his initial confusion by confusing him some more. You can win by using any of those methods but only if you do one thing more: Outmaneuver the other guy. Now think of your company: Is it an F-16 or an Aeroflot turboprop? In business, success isn’t simply a matter of being quickest to market, of spending the most, or of selling the highest-quality products.

Us fighter pilot