12. The Agile Framework of OKRs

Transcript

A very simple but practical way to understand OKRs is that they are an agile framework to set goals and execute strategy at the individual, the team, and the organizational level.

OKRs create a collaborative goal-setting culture that unites the organization around a common purpose which we might call the organization objective and it connects the organization, the business unit, the team, and the individual.

Think of all OKRs as the coxswain on the rowing boat, ensuring alignment and synergy between all the oars, pulling individually but collectively heading for the same “North Star”.

OKRs connect the CEO and the intern, the head and the heart, the organization strategic planning with its strategic execution. However, for OKRs to be implemented successfully, they take significant discipline. The right agile culture and mindset, and really the adoption of OKRs must be approached as a change management initiative.

In the words of John Doerr, OKRs are “a vaccine against fuzzy thinking – and fuzzy execution”.

OKRs can assist organizations with strategy realization, change management, and more successful project outcomes.

In the current climate of remote working, OKRs can keep staff motivated and connected. They assist with a laser focus on what really matters. They create alignment to the overall organizational objectives. OKRs create a sense of transparency and more importantly a sense of individual purpose but also collective accountability.