This decision making process consists of Observe, Orient, Decide and Act. It is a cyclical model. By using this OODA Loop you are able to continuously adapt to changing circumstances and use this to draw on your strengths. In aerial combat, split-second decisions are crucial. When you respond too late, the enemy gets the upper hand. We live in a rapidly changing world. If you do not change with the times, chances are that you will go under.
John Boyd developed the OODA Loop based on his experiences as a fighter pilot during the Korean War and later as an instructor.
Boyd developed the OODA Loop from this key concept. This is the process in which an individual or organization responds to an event. By responding quickly to situations and taking appropriate decisions, you can get ahead of your opponents. John Boyd assumed that intelligent organisms and organizations are in constant interaction with their environment. According to him, it causes complexity in an organization when managers and employees become prisoners of their own views. An organization can only survive if it breaks through this impasse by adapting itself to changing external conditions.
By understanding quickly what is going on, you can observe the changing situation clearly. You will have to look at yourself and the situation as though you were an outsider and not from your own point of view. All senses are used at this stage, as a result of which as much information can be collected as practically possible.
At this stage you will know what has to be done. This does not only concern position, but also the possible options you can visualize. John Boyd distinguishes the following factors that play an important role in this stage including genetic inheritance, cultural traditions, past experiences, analysis and new information. Orientation does not only indicate how you see the world, but also what kind of world you are capable of seeing. The orientation stage is described as the most important process in the OODA Loop. The information from step 1 is organized.
This stage is about learning from experiences. Based on someone’s current mental perspective, they make decisions and determine what actions they need to take. The right decision is taken and actions follow from this.
The physical execution of the decision is a fact at this stage. The selected approach is actually carried out. Experiences and/ or consequences of the approach are forwarded to the first stage, observe, after which the loop is complete and the cycle starts over again. It is a very quick process.
The objective is that a potential opponent does not get the chance to complete the loop as well, so that the opponent is always keeps running behind the facts. The combination of observation and orientation leads to a decision which in turn leads to action. And then the cycle starts over again. It is a continuous process in which you should always be on the alert in a changing environment. When there is an equilibrium state, there is little chance of survival.
Unfortunately, John Boyd never wrote down his ideas in articles or a book, but he mentioned them in his presentations. This is why there are various interpretations of the OODA Loop. Although the model is detailed and widely used, it does have certain disadvantages:
The OODA Loop model skips ‘memory’. When a situation has occurred before, the wheel does not have to be reinvented all over again by going through the OODA Loop again.
The OODA Loop model has not been tested scientifically, so there is no proof that the OODA Loop is correct.
The OODA Loop does not incorporate an opponent, although we have to reckon with opponents by being faster than they are.
The OODA Loop model does not include the factor ‘cooperation’ and is based too much on gunfights. By working with teams in accordance with the OODA Loop model, a new outcome is created. Other factors will have to play a role too including negotiation, task allocation, hierarchy, human behaviour, motivation, and so on. These are all factors that affect the decision-making process.