Boyd’s Theories

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Real OODA loops and IWCKI

New in our Articles section (see menu bar above):

Boyd’s Real OODA Loop.  I’ve been working on this thing for about a year now, and I think it finally meets the definition of a masterpiece: not finished, just abandoned. The original purpose was to point out that the most popular version of the OODA loop–observe, then orient, then decide, then act–is not wrong but is incomplete. It is, in fact, a subset of the complete “loop” that Boyd drew in “The Essence of Winning and Losing” (also available in Articles) that accounts for the generation of novelty and is a key mechanism in keeping the orientation process humming along smoothly. It is not, however, particularly useful for initiating actions in the heat of battle.

If We Can Keep It. The folks at the Center for Defense Information have kindly assented to my posting the pdf of IWCKI. Published in January 2008, it was the latest in the trilogy that began with A Swift, Elusive Sword. I tried to push the envelope with this one, but I’m afraid that time has pulled it into the mainstream (see, for example, “The Top 10 Lessons of the Iraq War,” by Stephen M. Walt in Foreign Policy).  I mean, even Newt is saying things like “We need to understand that our being in the middle of countries like Afghanistan is probably counterproductive.”

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Cheng, ch’i and the new iPad

Nice article by Josh Lowensohn and Jim Kerstetter over at c|net: How Apple keeps them lining up.

What’s Apple’s secret for turning these launches into a cultural event? It’s consistency, and it’s surprise. You believe that Apple product you’re about to buy will be like the last one, but how will it be better?

Cheng and ch’i, a subject I treat in Chapter 6 of Certain to Win. Sun Tzu suggested that we engage with the cheng, win with the ch’i. Or, in business, something like “bring’em in with the cheng, lock’em in with the ch’i.”

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In NYC

to teach a couple of classes at Baruch College.

I’ll be doing an evolution of maneuver class for Dr. T. J. Obi’s military history students and a session on Sun Tzu & John Boyd for his honors course.

Good to be back in New York after about 30 years, but just to be sure, I brought my South Carolina Low Country weather with me (it’s nearly 60 out there now).

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Boyd, TFPWCTAW, on GEN Odierno’s Reading List

General Ray Odierno, Chief of Staff of the US Army, has added Robert Coram’s Boyd, The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War, to the Army Professional Reading List. Incidentally, Boyd is now in its 7th printing.

In his intro, GEN Odierno said: “This reading list is an important element in the professional development of all leaders in the Army. We can never spend too much time reading and thinking about the Army profession and its interaction with the world at large.

‘These readings will deepen our understanding of the history of armies, the critical role of leadership in combat, and the strategic environment of today and the future. There is simply no better way to prepare for the future than a disciplined, focused commitment to a personal course of reading, study, thought and reflection. I challenge each of you to tackle these books and improve your power of critical thinking and understanding of the profession of arms.”

—GEN Raymond T. Odierno

It’s a very thorough and thought provoking list. You can download it from the February edition of Army magazine.

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Strategy subsumes culture

So writes Venkatesh Rao, author of Tempo, in a great new post on his Tempo Blog.

One tidbit to get you hooked: He joins John Boyd into a trio including Mahan and Clausewitz. At first, this may seem like strange bedfellows, but Boyd did cite Clausewitz often in Patterns of  Conflict, second only to Sun Tzu.

I’m somewhat hampered in commenting on Venkatesh’s post because it’s difficult to know what “culture” means in Boyd’s scheme of things. Other than in phrases like “cultural heritage” and “respect our culture,” Boyd doesn’t use the term.

On the other hand, he did talk about qualities that organizations need in order to be successful. In addition to the four German words from Certain to Win plus Behendigkeit (agility) there’s IOHAI from chart 144 of Patterns of Conflict. And “common implicit orientation” / “common outlook” from Patterns and Organic Design.

These qualities don’t just come from anywhere. So one might argue that any demarcation between culture and strategy is somewhat arbitrary. In other words, the duty of a commander is not only to create brilliant strategies:

 In the Clausewitz-Mahan-Boyd tradition, strategy is about human insight operating on chaotic shared mental models, seeking special, unfair advantages to exploit. The resources you have available, and the strengths and weaknesses of those resources (people and culture included), naturally get accommodated in this model. (Rao)

But also to create the platform that makes them possible.

Anyway, read the post and see what you think.

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Industrial blitzkrieg

Milliken.  Wonderful article in today’s Wall St. J. about how the old line textile manufacturer, Milliken & Co., in Spartenburg SC has used the principles of lean / maneuver warfare to thrive against global competition. OK, they don’t call it “maneuver warfare”, but read the article and see what you think (subscription to the WSJ required).  This is no coincidence: the late Roger Milliken was a keen student of Tom Peters, who was influenced by John Boyd.

The basic idea, which applies to any form of human conflict, is to get everybody in the organization to use their creativity and initiative to achieve the goals of the organization. Boyd’s FESA climate is designed to do just that. But it takes a lot of effort to build the culture where this climate can operate. For example: “A common outlook possessed by “a body of officers” represents a unifying theme that can be used to simultaneously encourage subordinate initiative yet realize superior intent.” (Patterns, 74)

Apparently, Milliken has gone through this process over the years and built an effective climate. As Boyd insisted in Conceptual Spiral, the driving force must be the creation and exploitation of novelty — before competitors can understand what you’re doing and before customers get tired and go somewhere else.

Not all their ideas work, of course. Roger Milliken was an ardent protectionist for many years and spent a lot of money trying to erect and maintain barriers to foreign competition. Fortunately, though, he didn’t bet the company on this version of the Maginot Line.

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Boyd’s Conceptual Spiral – New Edition

Download Conceptual Spiral (152 KB PDF), Boyd’s take on the origin and importance of novelty:

Novelty is not only produced by the practice of science/engineering and the pursuit of technology, it is also produced by the forces of nature, by our own thinking and doing as well as by others. Furthermore, novelty is produced continuously, if somewhat erratically or haphazardly. Now, in order to thrive and grow in such a world, we must match our thinking and doing, hence our orientation, with that emerging novelty. (28)

Adds the original page numbers, which may seem a little odd because for readability this edition spreads several of Boyd’s originals over two or even three pages.  All of these will have the same number.

Also corrects a number of typos, esp. in the “Examples from Science and Technology,” pp. 9-12 (and note that p. 12 in the original takes three pages here).

This version replaces the one dated February 2011.  It should also appear shortly in the John Boyd Compendium on DNIPOGO.

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Tempo — A Review

[Note:  An earlier and slightly different version of this review was originally posted at http://fabiusmaximus.wordpress.com]

Tempo:
Timing, Tactics and Strategy in Narrative-Driven Decision-Making

by Venkatesh Rao
(Ribbonfarm, 2011; 154 pages)

Reviewed by Chet Richards
July 25, 2011

A good book is read more than once while accumulating copious notes in its margins and on the blank pages that the publisher has thoughtfully provided before and after the text. Venkatesh Rao has written a good book. Continue reading →

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More adventures of zheng and qi

One of the pillars of Boyd’s framework is the idea of playing off the expected (zheng) against the unexpected (qi).  It’s an ancient principle, a component of shih, the title of the fifth chapter of the Sun Tzu text.  In some form or another, it is incorporated into all frameworks that descend from Sun Tzu, including the Marine Corps’ maneuver warfare doctrine and the various forms of lean.

Occasionally the principle itself gets rediscovered.  You may be familiar with the “Wow! Factor” or Tom Peters’ “the Pursuit of Wow!”

Here’s one of these from the Wall St. J. last Friday.

A couple of comments:

1.  “Exceeding expectations” is OK, but it makes it sound like “expectations” is a linear scale and all you have to do is score higher.  He’s on the right track, but there’s more to zheng / qi than a freebee every now and again.  For one thing, if that’s your approach, then customers will come to expect it.

2.  And there’s something I don’t like about “under-promise, over-deliver.”  Something about it just makes me uncomfortable.

Still, his conclusion that “… when you give them something more than they expect — faster service, extra help, more options, early delivery and so on — you end up with the loyal, raving fans you need to propel your business into the stratosphere” is certainly consistent with what we expect from zheng / qi.

How to Turn Customers Into Loyal, Raving Fans

By MIKE MICHALOWICZ

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304203304576447823427183788.html

Do you want satisfied customers or do you want customers who are so thrilled with your company they become loyal, raving fans? I’ll take option No.2. Satisfied customers may come back a second or third time; they may even become regulars. But unless you exceed expectations, your satisfied customers could just as easily become your competitors’ satisfied customers.

Read more (subscription required)

About the Author

Mike Michalowicz is the author of “The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur.” He is an advocate of a business philosophy by the same name, believing the greatest business successes come from underfunded, inexperienced entrepreneurs. His website is http://www.ToiletPaperEntrepreneur.com.