Business Strategy and the Boyd Cycle

Business competition takes place in real time. Success often depends upon the ability to perform a series of steps or a cycle faster than one's opponent. In this essay, I explain the Boyd or OODA (Observation-Orientation-Decision-Action) cycle and its relevance. I show why the ability to perform the Boyd cycle faster and more appropriately than one's competitors is often of paramount importance to profitability. Finally, I show how to organize the firm to speed up the Boyd cycle.