Understanding Root Causes of Complex Problems

Matthew Syed asks what the world's greatest fighter pilot can tell us about decision making.

He discovers a theory that transformed warfare and might have played a key role in Brexit.

John Boyd was a rebel. The quintessential cigar-chomping fighter pilot. A legend within the US Air Force, he was known to be able to shoot down any opponent in a dogfight in under 40 seconds.

He developed a decision making tool that would take the military by storm – OODA - observe, orient, decide, act. Boyd explained that this process looped, with each action leading to a new opportunity to observe. To defeat an enemy all you had to do was disrupt their OODA loop.

Matthew reveals how Boyd devotee Dominic Cummings, deployed OODA during the Brexit campaign with great effect.

While the OODA loop is highly effecting in confrontational settings, Matthew asks whether this form of thinking works when co-operation, rather than domination, is the name of the game.

Producer: Robbie MacInnes

A Novel production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in 2021.