Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction4
The technique used by the best, ignored by the rest at their peril. 5
Traditional incentive structures are not working as well as they used to. 8
Why you should keep the priority pyramid top-light and bottom-heavy. 19
Conclusion27
Employee Experience (or EX) is an emerging dis- In smaller companies, it helps maintain focus during
cipline and is gaining a powerful foothold in orga- chaotic growth spurts, globalization and continuous
nizations around the world. It borrows directly from interruption or distraction. In larger companies, it
well-established consumer marketing techniques that brings back the perception of localizing and making
seek to understand the Customer Experience (or CX) real the mission, purpose and core values that a com-
when engaging with a brand. pany holds dear and is aiming to achieve.
Recent research by several respected thought lead- This e-book introduces the discipline of Employee
ers such as Gallup, Gartner, Forrester and many oth- Experience and makes a case for what organizations
er leading employee engagement companies, shows can achieve when they get it right. It links the per-
a direct and powerful correlation between organiza- ceived outcomes of an optimized Employee Expe-
tional excellence and EX. An optimized Employee Ex- rience with the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
perience has been shown to lead to direct improve- method, as the two are inextricably linked and highly
ments in CX, in turn creating increased brand loyalty complementary. It is divided into two distinct parts.
and revenue opportunities for companies that get it
The first discusses what Employee Experience (EX)
right.
is as a Human Centered Design concept – what the
Further, when employees feel connected to the pur- benefits are of getting it right, doing it wrong, how the
pose and mission of an organization, they take on constructs of Employee Experience are, and how
more personal accountability for its success, unilat- does this factor into the Objectives and Key Results
erally reducing costs, improving communication and (OKR) methodology.
collaboration and driving bottom line results through
The second part addresses how the use of the OKR
innovative methods.
method across your enterprise ‘changes the conver-
While it is still all too common for organizations to sation’ across the organization about how things are
adopt ‘black box’ or siloed management structures, done, determining what matters most, and embracing
transparent goal management and alignment create that focus, alignment and transparency every day.
a culture of ‘we’re all in this together’. The Objectives
We hope you enjoy the read.
and Key Results (OKRs) approach, invented at Intel in
The Gtmhub team.
the 1980s and credited with driving Google’s incredi-
ble growth, is engineered for this very outcome.
Significance Progress
Our desire to stand out Our impulse to improve
Fairness Meaning
Our aspiration to be treated equi- Our drive to do something
tably valuable
Autonomy
Our preference for our own
choices
For hundreds of years, employers have not thought sibility of business —engage in activities
deeper about their workers than the provision of an designed to increase its profits.”
employment contract in the form of agreed hours and
a salaried wage. Employee engagement was just that - Milton Friedman, New York Times Maga-
– a contractual agreement.
zine, September 1970
• Focus – Making sure the entire company knows what matters, every quarter
• Alignment – Driving the right results – regardless of silo or department
• Engagement – Building the ‘big picture’ to help people attach to the mission at hand
• Transparency – Ensuring there are no ‘black box’ agendas, as everyone can see what’s required
• Accountability – Showing what actions belong to which people, teams and departments openly
These are concepts widely associated with new ways of working that include Agile and cross-functional teams.
These are not just corporate-speak buzzwords – but a successfully proven approach to working seamlessly with teams
of experts or specialists to get complex projects moving at pace – over tightly defined ‘sprints’ and daily ‘stand-ups’ and
‘wash-ups’ to keep tabs on progress – ensuring that everyone knows what they need to do, what support they need, and
what challenges lay ahead to achieve the sprint goals.
But how does any of this relate to an improved employee experience? Let’s recall those intrinsic motivators that often
drive us all:
Significance Progress
Our desire to stand out Our impulse to improve
Fairness Meaning
Our aspiration to be treated equi- Our drive to do something
tably valuable
Autonomy
Our preference for our own
choices
A well-executed OKRs approach helps people see they are part of a bigger picture, something bigger than each of us
but that we’re clearly a critical part of – Belonging.
OKRs help us put our stamp on the work that clearly matters – which is linked all the way up the chain to what our orga-
nization’s think is important – Significance.
Because of their transparent nature, where anyone can see what other teams or departments are working on, there is
an automatic sense that work is being distributed evenly – and shared across functions to ensure a parallel delivery
process – Fairness.
When we are instructed by our leaders to contribute to prioritizing the most important Objectives and create Key Re-
sults to help measure their progress toward completion – we feel valued, stretched and relied upon to support business
results – Autonomy.
OKRs are a living, breathing roadmap of activity that creates a hive effect. They build a real buzz about everyday activity
where progress, action and accountabilities are clear and communicated – Positive Emotion.
Remembering why the concept of OKRs came about who were about to turn the face of computing on its
in the first place is a rather fascinating story worth re- head if Intel didn’t pivot quickly to corner their market
peating here – to help you realize the power of its util- in microprocessor technology.
ity – because it wasn’t simply about a slight enhance- It was an all-or-nothing gamble where customers
ment of Peter Drucker’s Management by Objectives were non-existent, and the technology hadn’t been
(MBO) approach created some 14 years earlier in invented yet – so Grove’s drive and determination to
the mid-1950’s – but rather was the result of an ur- rally his top engineers to create something powerful,
gent call-to-action by Andy Grove (then CEO at Intel), game-changing and so far-reaching as to become
wherein his entire company needed to address a mas- fundamental to all computing technology was as-
sive shift in memory chip technology and hardware tounding, even by today’s standards.
configuration – called Microprocessors. He invented the OKR method to create a giant white-
In the early 1970s, Grove and his team at Intel (a small board that everyone could see, feel, touch, contribute
company then – founded in 1968) with some incred- toward and modify as they sprinted through a dizzying
series of experiments, pivots, failures and learnings
To be honest, initially, it’s very awkward, if not down- Your reaction is likely one of a few things…You’re ei-
right scary the first time you go around the room. ther excited to see clarity around what you and your
Think about how you’d feel if your CEO pulled you teams are meant to be focused on – relieved to be la-
into a room, sat you down and dropped 5-7 issues, ser focused on the real work that needs doing – or you
challenges or problems that needed to be solved at may feel that sense of inundation – that beyond your
the highest levels – and asked what top 3 things you BAU activities, there is another set of ambitious goals
would carve out of that mess to focus on in the next that your teams need to step into to make happen.
quarter (and the subsequent quarters) such that your In our experience – it’s usually the prior emotion that
company could hit target that year? I know how I’d feel comes through 9 out of 10 times. Relief that there is
– and it isn’t a pretty picture! clarity, focus and an immediate sense of what really
This is hard – but it’s also the moment you’ve been matters to the company. Why? Because prior to the
waiting for. use of the OKR method – most companies are all over
It’s a shot to really have your say in the direction of the the place trying to sort out the important and urgent
company – and can lend your particular perspective from the unimportant and non-urgent issues.
and vision in addressing the things that matter most, Typically, the strategic initiatives were drafted by the
first – and ensure you attach measures to achieving CEO and their Board of Directors, then cascaded to
those top priorities, so you can prove you got there. the CXO team – then thundered downhill from there.
Now if you’re one of the top managers of the CXO’s No one below CEO had much input into injecting their
team – and she rocks up after her Board meeting and real-life realities into the process – and quickly em-
drops the that quarter’s top three Objectives on you ployees began to feel like their voices weren’t heard,
and says, “OK – here’s what we need to achieve this their experience wasn’t included and the strategic ini-
quarter – now tell me how you plan on helping me and tiatives driving the company were dropped like unex-
our division or department get there? Please work pected and unwelcome bombs from above.
with your team to come up with your top 3 Objectives That sense of uninformed senior executives, clearly
and have them back to me by in the next few days, seeking to placate hungry shareholders and impress
OK?” the media such that their stock prices might benefit
filled the hearts and minds of employees with a tox-
Discover how Gtmhub can deliver focus, alignment and engagement to your organization. It’s the world’s
most intuitive OKRs management platform that also optimizes employee experience.
sults, initiatives, projects tive targets that need to be met – off the back of per-
forming a number of tasks (experiments, trials, tests
The Dyson success story as a blue- and materials examination). The employee will work
print for organizational excellence. with other team members who are specialists such
here. Setting the cultural norms that respect positive been promoted to CEO.
contribution, questioning old presumptions, shaking They were given that lovely corner office (or the slight-
out the essence of what is most important and needs ly larger open plan desk top), and a stack of challeng-
focused resource, are all crucial to a successful tran- es delivered in a stack of paper about a meter high.
sition to this new and powerful state of thinking and The challenge is that the Board of Directors called a
working together. meeting for the next morning to hear about your new
The OKR method is a human behavioral transforma- vision and strategy for the company.
tion first and foremost – scaled effectively by using You’re pretty intelligent and experienced – but feel
OKR management software to support visual trans- massively overwhelmed. Where do you start? How
parency, complex tracking and critical linkages as well does that feel to you? What would you do next?
as powerful insights. (Answer: You go gather up the other smartest
The software will help you scale transparency, make people you know who are closest to the challeng-
clear the linked connections between Objectives, will es sitting on your desk – and get them involved in
illustrated alignment between functions and help you helping you come up with something quick – but
track progress and performance throughout the orga- smart and well informed.)
nization seamlessly. It acts as a structure for cap-
You set the ground rules in the room before you start.
turing what will become a complex web of interactive
Something profound and at the same time deeply au-
activity throughout your company – so best if it’s cap-
thentic like:
tured in one tool, for all to see and use.
These sorts of transformations into new ways of be- “In this room, there are no foolish questions, que-
having and engaging are never easy. It fits like an ries or ponderances. We are in this together, and
awkward ski boot – where you know it’s going to save we are all working for the same outcomes. Forget
you from a twisted ankle while flying down a snowy your functional remit, your job title or where your
snow face, but there is nothing natural about how your office resides. Today, you are one of many, on the
foot, ankle or calve feels the first time you try it on for same team, solving hard problems together. We
size. respect one another as equals because we nev-
OKR methodology can feel the same way – as you er know where magical insights will come from.
know there are powerful advantages that will come We’ve all travelled long and hard to get here – and
from its use – but wow – it can be hard work getting from this point forward, we’re going to work togeth-
people to undo years of traditional thinking and behav- er to solve our complicated challenges.
ing – and getting their heads around solving complex
We won’t use negatively charged labels to rip other
challenges they have never been asked to participate
people’s ideas apart – but we will add to them,
in.
improve them, bring a different and valuable per-
Some tips for implementing OKRs. spective that others may not have thought of – and
together we’ll come up with something amazing.
Frame the challenge by asking everyone at the Board
table to close their eyes and imagine they had just