Getting inside your opposite\'s OODA loop and beating him as his game

1. Observe Orient Decide Act
O.O.D.A.
Ideas from Folgore Eugenio Pozzolini
Reproduction of text and images from
•Boyd, John, Organic Design for Command and Control
•Wikipedia.org.
Revised 13 August 2012

2. Decision makers gather information (observe), form hypothesis about
customer’s activity and the intentions of competitors (orient), make
decisions, and act on them.
The cycle is repeated continuously.
What is the basic ambiguity and thrust that determines the geniality of
observation, collecting information , “stealing” from the guy next door the idea
that will be a successful trip for me ?

3. In order to succeed & win, you must operate at a faster tempo or rythm
than your opposite -- or, better yet, get inside his
Observation – Orientation – Decision - Action
time cycle or loop.
Such activity will make you appear ambiguous (therefore
unpredictable) generating confusion and disorder among your opposite --
since he will be unable to generate mental images or pictures that agree
with the menacing as well as faster transient rythm or patterns he is
competing against.

4. The key is to “obscure” your intentions and make them unpredictable to
your opposite while you simultaneously clarify his intentions.
That is, operate at a faster tempo to generate rapidly changing conditions
that inhibit him from adapting or reacting to those changes and that
suppress or nullify (destroy is a better word) his awareness.
Thus, a hodgepodge of confusion and disorder will occur to cause over- or
under-reaction from your opposite, to conditions or activities that appear to
be uncertain, ambiguous, or incomprehensible.
Extracted and adapted from an article by Harry Hillaker

5. The proper frame of mind is to let go a little, to allow some chaos to
become part of your mental system, and to use it to your advantage by
simply creating more chaos and confusion for your opposite.
You will funnel inevitable chaos in the in the direction of the opposite.
Adapated from an article by Robert Greene , OODA and You

6. Getting inside your opposite's
OODA loop

7. On a rugby field , you have possession of the oval ball and must get past an
opponent who is taller and faster.
A straight dribble or pass is unlikely to succeed.
Instead you can engage in a rapid and elaborate series of body movements
designed to confuse the opponent and deny him the ability to take advantage of
his superior size or speed.
This may be merely a series of fakes, with the hope that your opponent will
make a mistake or an opening will occur, therefore trying to put him off
balance.
Practice and mental focus may allow you to reduce the time scale, get
inside your opponent's OODA loop, and take control of the situation - forcing
him to move in a particular way, and generate an advantage for you rather than
merely reacting to an event.

8. Back to basics (see slide two)
The same cycle operates over a longer timescale in a competitive business
scenario, and the same logic applies.
Decision makers gather information (observe), form hypothesis about
customer’s activity and the intentions of competitors (orient), make
decisions, and act on them.
The cycle is repeated continuously.
The determined and conscious application of the process gives a business
advantage over a competitor who is merely reacting to conditions as they
occur, or has poor awareness of the situation.