One question that always comes up when an organization decides to adopt the OKRs
model is: "But what changes within the organization and in the management culture when we implement an OKRs program?". This is because the roles within an OKRs program are complex and need to be studied.
And the answer is only one: "It changes everything, for the better...". But I always reinforce that successfully adopting an OKRs program in an organization requires a lot of discipline, consistency and a true and genuine "will" on the part of the organization to change the way it manages its business and its teams.
With this in mind, we're going to talk a little more about OKRs and their main functions. Read on!
OKRs: methodology and application
I always make it clear that the organization, especially the leadership, needs to understand that OKRs help to provide complete transparency and alignment throughout the organization, making it possible to manage the business in a unified way, with a system that brings clarity and accountability to all levels of the company.
Starting from this "hygienic" point that the leadership of the organization or teams is bought in and aligned on the benefits and efforts that need to be made to adopt an OKRs program, the other fundamental point is to define the roles and responsibilities within the OKRs adoption program.
Yes, there are specific roles and responsibilities within an OKRs program. Just like any organizational structure or model, an OKRs program needs roles and responsibilities to be defined and everyone involved to carry out their duties properly.
Whenever I explain this, I emphasize that this is not related to the position or function within the company. We're talking here about specific roles in the OKR adoption program.
These specific functions are:
Executive sponsor
It is the "Owner" of the OKRs program, from an organizational point of view. The main responsibilities of the Executive Sponsor are:
- Elaborate - together with the company's senior team - the reasons why the organization is adopting OKRs, i.e. the necessary context for implementing OKRs must be generated [The Whys]
- Define the success criteria for the OKRs program - how the success of the program's implementation will be measured and verified.
- Take action, based on feedback from the company, to reinforce the need and organizational incentives to leverage the use, adherence and guarantee the success of the OKRs program.
- Updating and following up with the executive team on the progress of the OKRs program;
- Approve the investment and organizational funding for the programme;
- Act as a "decision point" in problems and challenges related to OKRs;
Internal Champion
He or she is responsible for the OKRs program - at the tactical management level. The main responsibilities of the Internal Champion are:
- Lead - at the tactical and operational level - the OKR adoption program and work with the executive team to establish the corporate OKR schedule;
- Serve as experts on the subject of OKRs: read books, articles, attend seminars, take training courses and really be experts on the subject;
- Act as the leader and administrator responsible for OKRs platforms and software, if applicable.
- Leading the company's internal communication and engagement at management and operational level.
- Manage the budget and OKRs program.
- To serve as a starting point of scale for problems related to OKRs.
- Ensure the initial alignment of OKRs in the organization.
Ambassadors
He is responsible for the OKRs program - at team level. The Ambassador's main responsibilities are:
- Responsible for evangelization and becoming an internal expert for your assigned group/team;
- Ensure the distinction between business routine and OKRS - step change;
- To be a point of contact for all OKR-related issues in their areas;
- Responsible for the success of the program in their area(s);
- Align with other OKR ambassadors and champions to share best practices, challenges and learnings;
OKRs: Team leaders
Team leaders are responsible for achieving their team's OKRs. The main responsibilities of team leaders are:
- Establish OKR drafts and final versions for their teams/areas;
- Review the OKRs with your team and finalize based on team inputs;
- Identify and synchronize with the "OKR owners" to ensure alignment;
- Evaluate the degree of achievement of the OKRs with the teams;
- Share and apply the lessons learned after each cycle.
Extra tip
If implementing this model in your organization is more difficult than you imagined when you read John Doerr's book, I have two lessons to share with you:
- It gets hard before it gets easy
- If the leadership is dissatisfied with the results of the methodology, diagnose 3 dimensions to assess possible opportunities for improvement:
- If the organizational leadership is "bought in" and engaged in the methodology, in the OKRs program - this is a fundamental part of making the process work.
- If the roles and responsibilities: Executive Sponsor, Internal Champion, Ambassadors and Team Leaders are in place, with the correct profiles and if the people responsible for these functions are performing their roles according to what is expected of them.
Do you want to implement OKRs in your company or accelerate the program that is already being adopted? Do you want to accelerate and sustain the OKRs methodology? Get in touch with us!
