Meet DB Schenker
DB Schenker is a global leader in logistics and transportation, with around 72,000 employees. The OKR Institute worked with the company's middle managers to help them put Objectives and Key Results into practice. The goal was to sharpen how strategy turned into action, improve alignment across teams, and build a steady habit of improvement, all through the layer of the organization that often decides whether a strategy actually happens. In logistics, where timing and coordination are everything, clear shared goals can be the difference between teams that move as one and teams that work past each other.
The Challenge of Scale and Buy-In
DB Schenker hit three connected problems. The first was understanding and buy-in. Many middle managers did not have a full grasp of how OKRs worked, which made it hard for them to commit to the framework or use it well. The second was alignment. Goals needed to connect across different levels and departments, and that coordination was not easy in a large logistics business. The third was staying power. It was not enough to launch OKRs. The company needed a way to keep running and managing them over the long term.
The company also already used the Balanced Scorecard, a well-established planning tool. Rather than ask managers to abandon what they knew, the smarter path was to connect OKRs to that familiar method, so the new framework felt like an extension rather than a replacement.
How We Worked Together
The OKR Institute built a structured program that paired OKRs with a tool DB Schenker already knew, the Balanced Scorecard.
- Customized training programs: We delivered sessions on the principles of both OKRs and the Balanced Scorecard, and on how to bring the two together.
- Practical application workshops: We ran workshops that showed how to link OKRs to the Balanced Scorecard's four views, covering financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth.
- Ongoing support and consultation: We stayed involved to help with implementation, troubleshooting, and adjustments based on feedback and real performance.
Connecting the two frameworks lowered the barrier to adoption. Managers did not have to throw out their existing planning habits. They learned to add OKRs on top, which made the change feel manageable rather than disruptive.
What Made it Work
- Building on the familiar: Connecting OKRs to the Balanced Scorecard meant managers did not have to abandon what already worked, making adoption feel natural.
- Middle management focus: Targeting the layer that carries strategy to the ground ensured OKRs had the right champions in the right places.
- Ongoing support: Staying involved after the launch gave managers help when they needed it, turning a training event into a lasting practice.
- Practical workshops: Hands-on workshops linking OKRs to the four Balanced Scorecard views made the connection concrete and usable.
What Changed at DB Schenker
Sharper strategic execution
Middle managers got better at running and managing OKRs, which lifted execution and made operations more efficient.
Better alignment and collaboration
The work pulled teams closer together, both within and across departments, creating a more unified push toward the company's goals.
A culture of improvement
The training and support helped shift the culture toward steady improvement, with middle managers leading much of that change.
What This Shows
DB Schenker's case highlights how much rests on the middle of an organization. By focusing on middle managers and connecting OKRs to a familiar tool like the Balanced Scorecard, the company made the new framework feel less foreign and more usable. The takeaway is practical. When you build OKRs on top of something people already understand, and you keep supporting them after the launch, adoption sticks. New frameworks often fail not because they are bad, but because they ask people to throw away what already works. By connecting OKRs to a tool managers trusted, DB Schenker made adoption feel like a step forward rather than a fresh start, and that made all the difference.
