Chief Learning Officer - January 2009 - (Page 30) The OODA Loop and Learning BY DUANE SPIVEY A common criticism of learning leaders is that they don’t “get” strategy. The first step is having a strategic focus on thought processes, evaluation and execution. B e a businessperson first and a learn- The Loop ing professional second, and measure While it may have a funny name, the OODA loop has the impact of learning on the business: been employed as an effective tool by the likes of the These two tenets have been rallying cries United States Marine Corps to develop its maneuver in developing a learning strategy in the warfare doctrine, which in turn dictates battle stratepast few years. Much advice has been dispensed on gies. It also has been used by General Re Insurance, Intel, Nokia and several other corporations these subjects, and numerous articles have to produce a competitive advantage in the explained or described how to make learnAT A marketplace. ing part of the business ecosystem. But what Created by Col. John Boyd, the OODA tools can learning executives employ that GLANCE loop — which stands for observe, orient, allow them to make decisions in a fast-paced The OODA decide and act — was originally designed marketplace that doesn’t allow for exploring loop has as a way to understand conflict and provide all the options with all the information? four steps: military leaders with a model or method for Several CLOs have told their CEOs that 1. Observe. making decisions and assessing their imthey believe learning is organizationally 2. Orient. pact. This is done in an ever-changing and strategic and should be thought of in that 3. Decide. chaotic world in which actors seldom have light. However, the look on many of those 4. Act. all the relevant information. CEOs’ faces gave them a clear response: Some say the OODA loop helps develop Just saying it doesn’t make it a reality. In strategy, while others say it also can be used as a tactical fact, many of them don’t see how learning could really change the enterprise — because they don’t see how tool. Either way, line-of-business executives have used the learning function is strategically connected to the it for marketing, sales and operational improvements for more than a decade. As more organizations come vision and mission of the organization. To move beyond being a training department to realize the importance of learning to their success, and becoming an organization that aligns employee learning executives can use the OODA loop as a learning with organizations’ business goals, learning means of helping line-of-business leaders understand executives need to be connected to every part of the how to create and implement learning programs that organization. To do that, they need to be business pro- will help them compete. Figuring out what learning needs to be developed fessionals, as well as learning professionals. and then executing on that are the two fundamental While there has been a cornucopia of information available on measuring learning, not as much atten- things a learning organization has to deal with. While tion has been given to how learning professionals can the second part is not simple, there is a wealth of inbe businesspeople first. Is there a tool or model learn- formation about it. What we’re talking about is how ing leaders can use to connect learning initiatives to we choose which learning intervention to employ to business goals and show up as serious players on the align with a company’s objectives, what tools we have executive team? Yes, and it’s called the OODA (pro- at our disposal to do this most effectively and how we measure or report successes. nounced “oo-da”) loop. 30 Chief Learning Officer • January 2009 • www.clomedia.com http://www.clomedia.com
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