The Benefits of the OODA Loop in Health and Human Performance
What is Health and Human Performance?
“A degree in Health and Human Performance studies not only the physical elements of holistic living, but the psychological, structural, physiological and mechanical aspects as well.” -Abilene Christian University
Through a degree in Health and Human Performance, you will gain the knowledge needed to understand how ones body develops and justifies throughout ones lifetime. You will learn the in and outs as to why changes happen to ones body in specific instances.
Learning about things such as human anatomy, human behavior, nutrition, motor skills, and other helpful aspects of ones life and health is hardly the surface when speaking on the knowledge gained through this degree.
What is the OODA Loop?
The OODA Loop is used in many different areas of life such as Law Enforcement, the Medical Field, etc. This technique was developed to aid in decision making. There are four steps within the OODA Loop, each matching up with a letter provided within the acronym “OODA.”
The first “O” meaning observe. Within this step one takes the time to gain the knowledge needed about the problem at hand. This means digging deeper into areas that may be overlooked in other instances. This is important to ensure that you have all the information in which will benefit you during the decision making process.
The second “O” meaning orient. During this step you will use the information you found while observing the problem to contemplate the situation and the decision at hand. This involves looking at the problem from all sides and discussing what would and would not be beneficial in each situation.
The “D” meaning decide. This step consists of meeting and discussing all of the information you have gained and examined in order to come to a decision. Including all of the unknowns one could face.
Lastly, the “A” means act. As one may speculate, this is the final step. Acting on your decision in a confident and affective way while continuing to understand that there may be obstacles throughout. In specific instances, this could include running further tests before beginning.
Why is the OODA Loop Beneficial?
The OODA Loop is beneficial in more ways than one. This is because although originally created by a military strategist John Boyd, it has evolved in a way where it is used in many different areas/professions. It allows one and or groups of people to be able to make quick but effective decisions depending on the situation they are facing. Using this technique also obligates the user to dig into information he or she may have overlooked when coming to a conclusion.
How to apply the OODA Loop in Health and Human Performance:
There are many career paths one could take when gaining a degree in Health and Human Performance and each one of them could benefit from using the OODA Loop method. For example, as an athletic trainer, he or she could use the OODA Loop in determining what is best for their athlete. Whether that be surgery and or therapy, finding all the different options and exploring those options before making the final decision will always be beneficial.
Along with this, I have only provided one example as to why the OODA Loop would be beneficial in Health and Human Performance, but as I stated earlier, this method would be beneficial in any career within this area.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the OODA Loop is a great method to keep in mind when facing large decisions. Taking the time to sit back and look at the situation from all sides before acting on the problem is beneficial to everyone. The OODA Loop seems as though it is a lengthy process, but depending on the severity of your situation, it could be lengthy or short and sweet. Overall, while to some it takes too much time and effort, having the OODA Loop is beneficial when making important decisions because it helps people to fully understand and learn, it ensures better decision making in all situations, and it helps to see all sides to a situation in order to avoid something being overlooked.
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