There are three most common ways of OKR implementations.

1. Cascading OKR & Inherited OKR
2. Copy Org-Chart & Interdependent OKR Teams
3. OKR Silos

Unfortunately none of them help to create strategic alignment, which is the main reason why companies want to implement OKR in the first place. On the contrary the above mentioned OKR models cause major problems.

The result is: Everyone hates OKR 😡

Because:

1. Cascading and interdependent goals slow down the system.
2. “Must-Do” cascading goals hinder motivation and creativity.
3. OKR silos cause priority conflicts and fights over shared resources.

Good news is, there are alternatives! I’ve been working with OKR for over 6 years so that I have a good collection of OKR implementation models, I want share with you. Read my article: Don’t cascade OKR! Build a Solar System

In this article I’d like to share a different OKR approach I’ve been experimenting with in the last couple of years. 

Strategic Theme OKR

In every organisation there are always topics for which there are no dedicated teams (yet). Strategic themes such as cultural changes, transformations, developing new business models, etc. are typical examples, where the engagement of people from different functions, units, divisions are required to deliver a value.

Since none of the existing OKR models covered these kinds of needs of my clients, I started to experiment with a different model, that I call today “Strategic Theme OKR” and added to my OKR alignment model “OKR Solar System”.

How does Strategic Theme OKR work?

Let me explain it with a real use case.

My client, Vestel, an export champion in consumer electronics from Turkey, had a strategic theme in Customer Service division, for which there was no dedicated team that could have owned it, which is why I suggested working with “Strategic Theme OKR”. Vestel claims “Vestel’le olur neden olmasin?” – in English “with Vestel it will! Why shouldn’t be?”. Following their own motto and their innovative spirit, they accepted my suggestion.

First steps of Strategic Theme OKR 

Vestel’s leadership (C-level and Directors) chose a theme that was part of their long-term strategy: “Strengthening the quality and expertise of service technicians.” 

In the Strategic Focus workshop they defined the strategic focus and direction of the next 12-18 months, which resulted in focusing specifically on external service technicians and authorized dealers by enabling capabilities and competences, improving work conditions and creating sense of belonging.

Next steps to get started with Strategic Theme OKR

Next, Vestel’s OKR integration team started an internal process, to form 3 teams with people who were interested to work on the areas, had respective insights and competences, and curious about OKR.

My advice when forming teams: 

Rule number one is focus on volunteers, who truly wants to be part of it. Don’t force people into it. Otherwise, they won’t engage with the topics, will have excuses why not to attend the meetings which will demotivate other team members. And at the end ~70% will leave the team at latest at the next cycle.

Second rule is, make sure the teams are cross-level and cross-divisional to include all sorts of perspectives.

Third, be prepared that you’ll work with dynamic teams, because depending on the development stage of the topic, different skills might be required. While the theme remains constant the team members will change over the time. After each OKR cycle, ask everyone if, why, and how they want to continue to contribute and be prepared to include new team members, while others leave.

Getting started

At Vestel we organized OKR 101 sessions with the team members, to familiarize them with the new way of working. Also, the leaders, who were involved in the Mid-Term Goal workshop and now part of the OKR teams took time to explain the strategic context to their teams to eventually win them for the OKR Teams. 

After this brief preparation phase, we organized the OKR definition workshops, where people from different organisational levels and units came together to discuss problems, opportunities, and trends in the specific areas, which resulted in one OKR set per team, to focus on in the next 3 months.

After the OKR definition workshops, the teams had their first team meeting to agree on how they want to work together. First, they brainstormed initiatives and activities to drive progress towards their OKRs and then they distributed the To Dos amongst team members. 

Second, they agreed on new routines, when and how often they would meet to discuss their progress and how to communicate with each other synchronously and/or asynchronously.

Is it too much time on top?

Some of you might now think, this is too much time on top. I disagree. The extra time-invest is not caused by OKR, but by the strategic choice that was made in the company strategy. If it wasn’t important, it wouldn’t have been on that strategy paper. So be conscious about your strategic choices. Besides, no matter how the work is organised, you’ll need people to invest their time if you want it to move forward. You can either do it as “undercover projects” that are not on the roadmaps but consume as much time as other topics, or you can structure it officially. Making the work visible is never the wrong thing to do.

Commitment is needed

Keep in mind that all team members are freeing up time from their other duties to be part of this new virtual team and this additional effort shouldn’t be underestimated. Some of them more, some less, depending on their position and role in the organisation. This means, all team members must commit how much time they can invest.

Also, their actual teams and leaders must be informed and on board with their involvement somewhere else. 

During the OKR cycle

Participating in an OKR workshop and then in a team meeting is only the beginning of it. The real work starts afterwards, hence the commitment.

Team Coaching

My advice here is to provide team coaching to support teams in becoming high performing teams. OKR Agents trained in team development could guide these teams. 

During the first OKR cycle, Vestel’s teams discovered new insights while conducting interviews to empathize with the service technicians and dealers. They analysed the landscape they were acting in and started measuring to take more data informed decisions. 

Leadership’s Involvement

In weekly team meetings they discussed their progress, learnings, and impediments. These type of OKR teams work almost all the time in a green field with many unknowns, which might require leadership’s support to free the way. Having leaders in the teams helped them to overcome organisational difficulties, like getting budget approvals. Therefore, I’d insist on leadership’s involvement in these OKR Teams. An interesting side fact here is, that other members profited from collaborating with leaders, as they could observe closely how these issues are dealt with in the organisation, which helped them to grow in different aspects.

I was invited to moderate the OKR Check-ins every two weeks, where all three teams came together for 15 min. per team. Team representatives showed the progress they made (good or bad) and shared their big/small achievements and learnings.

End of the OKR cycle

After 3 months, when the first OKR cycle ended, in OKR review, I asked teams to reflect about their results and learnings. Even though not all OKRs were achieved fully, their learnings were priceless. Some of the practices they developed in the teams became part of internal processes, so that the whole company benefits in long term from the work of these OKR teams. 

Overall benefits of working with Strategic Theme OKR

In the next OKR cycles, they became more and more creative and innovative. As one of the teams suggested to create a radio program for the people in the field, one of their C-Levels reaction was: “Best idea I‘ve ever heard !” Can you imagine how proud and excited the team was! I know, I was! 

In OKR reviews when I ask teams about their personal experience, almost all team members write down, that they have a much better understanding of the big picture how everything is connected and how other departments work.

Working closely cross-divisionally while sharing same goals, speeded them up immensely, as they followed the same priorities, and everyone was committed to the goals, as they defined them together in the OKR Definition workshop.

Being able to bring own ideas and being able to realize them, motivated the team members immensely. In OKR reviews they all agreed: “We would’ve never done it, if it wasn’t for OKR!“

I agree. In my experience, with all the teams I guide through OKR implementation, the Strategic Theme OKRs unleash a very special power. It’s the power of “WE”: The strong sense of belonging and creating something great together. 

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If you want to try out Strategic Theme OKR, make sure to involve an OKR expert who practiced it many times, before it gets messy. Get in touch with me if you want to try a new way of OKR or need me to fix your OKR.

What different OKR models have you tried? Share your insights.