Joining the dots

I have had a good day today in terms of reading and I  have managed to cover a lot of ground on reflective learning.  However, all throughout the readings I knew that I had seen similar concepts before but within a military context.
I now realise that a cycle of inquiry is closely related to a concept known as the OODA Loop or the Boyd Cycle.  In simple terms it stands for:

There is also a more complex version:

In military terms there is always a competition between at least 2 players.  The key to success is being able to complete a cycle of action and learning quicker than the opposition.  We refer to this as generating tempo.  If you can do this consistently you can unbalance your opponent and then hopefully defeat him.

The following link gives a good overview of who John Boyd, the originator of the OODA loop was.  http://scienceofstrategy.org/main/content/col-john-boyd-strategy-group

100 word summary of my proposed Evidence Based Initiative(EBI)

The Royal Marines Reserve has to make a number of significant changes due to a strategic drive to find more efficient and effective ways to deliver the same output.  I aim to use the EBI to help me deliver a better outcome for the RMR by utilising the theories, tools and techniques I gain through B716 to periodically reflect on the situation at hand and subsequently develop strategies to influence the process and conclusion.  The EBI will not be the change process its self, but rather it will be the vehicle to examine the change and my role within it.

Using the concept of a Systems map to understand the environment I work in

The organisation I am part of, Commander Maritime Reserve HQ (CMR), like most organisations is complex and we are currently under significant pressure to adapt and we must identify and deliver efficiencies.  This is currently my main effort and although it is painful and at times difficult, there is an upside, which is that it provides a probable focus for my EBI.  In light of this I have spent this evening generating a first draft of a systems map to help me understand the environment in which we are attempting to make changes.


It has been a good exercise to generate this map and although I am certain that it is not 100% accurate, it is certainly good enough with regard to the Pareto principle to be useful.