When Tom Cruise’s “Maverick” inverted his F-14 fighter jet and gave “the bird” to his Soviet opponent in the opening scene of 1986’s Top Gun, Cruise assured himself a lighthearted place in the history of the Cold War. What that scene also did, however, was provide one of cinematography’s great examples of a key concept of air-to-air combat: the OODA loop. Maverick’s uncanny ability to move rapidly through a complex decision cycle, always ending up in a superior position, not only made for great cinema but also represented one of the more complex theories to emerge from 20th Century military thinking.
Decision Making, Top Gun Style
Even Maverick had a system: the OODA loop.
September 12, 2013
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New!
HBR Learning
Decision Making Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Decision Making. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Practical ways to improve your decision-making process.