Objectives and Key Results (OKR) – The New Goals

Sharlyn Lauby

9 Apr 2017

I think it’s pretty safe to say that I’m a goal-driven person. I like setting goals and always having something that I’m working toward. In fact, I’ve written a few posts here on HR Bartender about goals. One of my favorites is “Use Gumby to Keep Employees Focused on Goals”.

OKR, ORKs, goals, objectives, key results, BetterWorks, strategic planning

One of the things that I’ve come to realize is that setting the wrong goal can really set you back. Obviously, setting the right goals moves you forward. But, setting the wrong goals isn’t a neutral activity. If not done correctly, it can cause us to take a step backward. Not just individuals. This applies to organizations as well. So, we need to place some dedicated thought, energy, and resources toward proper goal setting.

Over the past few months, I’ve been working with my friends at BetterWorks on the topic of OKR (Objectives and Key Results). OKR is a management methodology that connects work to strategic plans in a very specific way. So, within an organization, objectives and key results connect an employee’s work to the company’s strategic plans. Here’s an example from an article I wrote over on the BetterWorks blog titled, “Why OKRs are Going Mainstream in Business”.

Objective: Improve customer service scores

Key Results:

Have 100% of employees attend “How to Deal with Difficult Customers” training by the end of Q2 2017
Track customer compliment and complaint letters (goal: 2 to 1 ratio)

Organizations that feel their goal setting processes are getting stale or that employees are just going through the motions where goal setting is concerned, might want to look at OKR as a way to breathe new life into their processes. Companies can start small by working with employees to align their personal development with the company’s OKRs. The results – both in terms of accomplishing the OKR and creating team engagement – can be huge.

If you want to learn more about OKRs and how they can help your organization, BetterWorks has a downloadable eBook on the topic. Even better, join us at BetterWorks Goal Summit in San Francisco on April 20, 2017. I’m really excited to be attending this year. One of the speakers is John Doerr, who has worked with companies like Google, Intuit, and Amazon using the OKR concept. HR Bartender readers get a FREE registration using the discount code HRBARTENDER. Hope to see you there!