Quick refresher. An OODA loop is a decision making model that John Boyd (America's greatest strategist) formulated.
Basically, it's a description of how all living organisms make decisions. Better decision making = improved success.
OODA consists of four steps in a loop (I've got lots more on this in my book and in past issues of GG):
- Observe = what's going on? what is the problem?
- Orient = what does that data mean (knowledge, experience, culture, etc.) is it a problem?
- Decide = what should you do in response to this situation/problem?
- Act (repeat) = do it.. (go back to the first step to find out if your action solved the problem)
However, many of the decisions we make are are accomplished at the group and societal level. To do that, we've built organizational frameworks that automate steps in the OODA loop. The three most common methods at the macro level are:
- Markets -- financial, farmer's, and representational governance
- Hierarchy -- families, corporations, and governments
- Legal -- contracts, remedies, and adjudication.
All three were amazing innovations at the time they were developed.
In today's world, given that we are all networked and have nearly unlimited processing power at our fingertips... Not so much. In fact, the rise of networks is rapidly corrupting the traditional organizational frameworks -- from the programmed trading and derivatives that are destabilizing stock markets to the "big data" bomb that the NSA is currently building to the IP trolls (copyrights and patents) that are destroying innovation.
BTW: The Kenyan mall attack appears to be a template (plausible promise) that is aimed at both Kenyan government and the US/Europe. I suspect it won't successfully ignite action in either area (i.e. multiple Black Friday -- the high holy day of American consumerism -- mall attacks or attacks by other groups on Kenyan targets).