The Change Dude’s Blog

Business Landscape Changed Forever

It’s probably safe to say that the landscape of business as we knew it 12 months ago has changed forever.  Now forever is a long time but I’ll take the risk.  My favorite quote of the week is from Lynn Franco of the the Conference Board in discussing the latest Customer Confidence Index results After two months of significant improvements, the Consumer Confidence Index is now at its highest level in eight months (Sept. 2008, 61.4). Continued gains in the Present Situation Index indicate that current conditions have moderately improved, and growth in the second quarter is likely to be less negative than in the first.  Lynn made a valiant attempt to be positive.  Unfortunately…it failed.  Less negative?  Really?  I suppose the new reality is giving everyone a bit of the jitters.

New landscapes require different tools.  I’d like to introduce everyone to John Boyd, one of the finest fighter pilots to ever strap on a jet.  Colonel Boyd also changed the face of warfare.  Boyd worked overtime to understand how he could win any engagement in a matter of seconds regardless of what the other pilot was flying, what made him better?  He never believed it was his flying skill but about the way he approached a fight.  Over a period of many years he studied in great detail this problem and concluded that it was in fact ones ability to process the environment and act faster that the other guy that made him better.  His construct was the OODA Loop.  Components of OODA are: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act.  He didn’t believe that “reaction” was ever appropriate, but a conscious act in response to a decision based on situation awareness.  He did believe that if you could move through the OODA Loop faster than your opponent the day would be yours.  In short – being AGILE.  Strangely enough the Air Force never bought into the idea, but the Marine Corps did.  Boyd was a freqent instuctor of warfare in Quantico and many of today’s strategies and tactics have evolved from Boyd’s OODA Loop construct.  Some businesses have taken to using the concept, but in my mind not nearly enough.

To compete in today’s new business environment requires a constant state of observation and orientation to develop the agility necessary to win.  I’ve spoken often about renewal and the use of positive language.  Introducing agility into the conversation via education around and exercise of the OODA Loop would serve any business leader well.  I’ve seen so often how long it takes for organizations to make small changes that it becomes a running joke.  Decisions made in March of one year might make it to implementation the next June.  Reviews, budgets, enrollment of stakeholders, revisions, new enrollment and finally the action gets implemented.  Problem is this was an action appropriate for last year’s orientation not the present situation.  Boyd and his followers, of which I am one, would say the day was well lost.

Our new reality demands agility not reaction.  Observe the environment, Orient to the situation, Decide on a course of action and ACT!   TODAY….for tomorrow will be too late.

May 27, 2009 - Posted by thechangedude | Thinking About Change