The OKR Institute partnered with Linq, a system provider in the Education space, to introduce and implement OKRs across their organization. Linq aimed to leverage OKRs to drive strategic execution and alignment but faced the challenge of being new to the framework and needing to ensure its adoption was both effective and organization-wide.

Linq’s primary challenge was their inexperience with OKRs and the ambition to implement the framework across the entire company, necessitating a comprehensive and accessible introduction to OKRs for their strategy team and management.

To tackle this challenge, the OKR Institute devised a strategic approach:

• Training OKR Champions: Many employees were trained as OKR champions, equipped with the knowledge and skills to lead and support the implementation process within various teams and departments.
• Fostering the Right Behaviors: The focus was placed on establishing and nurturing the right behaviors crucial for the success of OKRs, including weekly check-ins and quarterly reviews to track progress, address challenges, and recalibrate goals as necessary.

The initiative led to several positive developments within Linq:

• Cross-Functional Team Collaboration: The implementation of OKRs facilitated the creation of cross-functional teams, enhancing open and regular communication across different parts of the organization, thereby breaking down silos and fostering a more collaborative work environment.
• Positive Momentum on OKRs: In the first quarter following implementation, Linq observed decent forward momentum on most OKRs, indicating that the organization was effectively adopting and working towards its newly established objectives and key results.
• Confident OKR Champions: The OKR champions within Linq gained confidence in facilitating all relevant OKR meetings and reviews, becoming pivotal figures in the ongoing adoption, adaptation, and success of the OKR framework within the company.