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We've got a new post on Commonplace! 👉 Much Ado About The OODA Loop

An in-depth look at John Boyd and the OODA loop, the strategic thinker most concerned about fast adaptation under uncertainty.

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It seems that "turning inward" may not be a bad sign in business. There are certainly military examples, such as the Japanese leaders in the battle of Midway who turned inward in confusion and lost their advantages (catastrophically).

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However military engagements are very timebound, and good execution can reaction can only happen if there is a lot of "turning inwards" before and between engagements. In business, competition is rarely timebound in that same sense.

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Thus businesses are forced to mix preparation and execution much more fluidly. There is some element of turning inward happening at the same time as the execution.

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The exceptions are rare, such as specific competitive "campaigns" that are planned around a limited timeline, or major disruptions in the market that create confusion for everyone until the competitors reorient themselves.

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I suppose it depends on your market. My last business was in a very competitive market, and every day felt like a knife fight. This was for the good part of two years. We drove a few competitors to bankruptcy. Turning inward was death.

3:52 AM · May 24, 2020TweetDeck

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In a sense it seems that turning inwards is a necessary step to re-orienting and adapting. But if it's forced when time is limited then it may be costly. Aside from that, a prescription to not turn inwards when challenged almost sounds like a recipe for hubris.

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Then again, being unprepared and not having the resources to buy time probably means the competitor is a zombie.

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