Organizations are optimized for stability. Their plans are precise, their processes honed for efficiency. They defend this carefully constructed identity because it is the foundation of their past success. This makes them predictable—and thus vulnerable to a reality defined by permanent transition.
The market, the technology, the interests of the actors: everything is in flux. In this environment, the ability to rapidly orient determines the effectiveness with which you shape the future, whereas defending the plan consumes the very energy needed to engage reality.
A Paradoxical Edge
The origin of this idea lies in an observation by fighter pilot turned military strategist John R. Boyd. During the Korean War, the American F-86 was inferior to the Soviet MiG-15 in almost every technical specification. Yet, it achieved a superior kill ratio.
The advantage was found in the dynamics of transition. Boyd identified two decisive differences:
- Superior Situational Awareness: The F-86 had a bubble canopy. It replaced a field of view restricted by the aircraft’s frame with a seamless 360-degree perspective. The pilot no longer had to construct reality from fragmented and distorted perceptions but could grasp it directly and as a coherent whole.
- Superior Agility: Hydraulic flight controls allowed the pilot to initiate maneuvers with minimal effort. He could focus his full cognitive capacity on the engagement instead of fighting the friction of his own machine.
While the MiG was superior in a stable state, it was vulnerable in transition. The F-86 pilot used his seamless perception and frictionless control to dictate the rhythm of the dogfight. His maneuvers were so fast and unpredictable that his opponent’s orientation collapsed. Every reaction the MiG pilot made was already obsolete the moment he executed it. The American was operating inside his opponent's decision cycle.
Boyd called this ability to disorient an opponent through abrupt changes of state Fast Transients.
From the Cockpit to the Boardroom
Today, this principle applies even more to strategic decision-makers. The capable organization cultivates the ability to observe its own situation and its own plan from the outside. It understands that its true operating system is a permanent negotiation with reality.
- The bubble canopy of today is an unvarnished, shared picture of the situation. It goes beyond mere data to include the hidden interests and power dynamics within the system.
- The hydraulic flight controls are the organization's actual agency: the competence to resolve blockades and move from insight to effective action with minimal friction.
The ability to make fast transitions is the result of disciplined practice. It sharpens perception and frictionless execution. The goal is a fundamental shift in posture that leads to superior effectiveness: You no longer just react to reality. You shape the playing field while others are still staring at an obsolete map.