The OKR Institute embarked on a strategic partnership with Energy Origin, a company at the forefront of the energy sector, to enhance the capabilities of their strategy team through the adept use of OKRs. This collaboration was designed to address specific challenges in OKR application and alignment and to foster a more effective strategic planning and execution culture within the organization.

Energy Origin encountered difficulties with their initial implementation of OKRs, particularly with creating output-focused, activity-based OKRs that blurred the lines between ongoing business as usual work and initiatives directed towards future growth and innovation.

To overcome these hurdles, the OKR Institute implemented a tailored educational program:

• Leadership and Professional Courses: Strategy managers at Energy Origin underwent comprehensive training through courses specifically designed to meet the needs of their organization. These sessions focused on crafting outcome-focused OKRs, conducting effective check-ins, and aligning OKRs with the company’s top priorities, vision, and purpose.

The targeted training led to significant advancements in how strategy managers approached OKRs:

• Creation of Outcome-focused OKRs: Strategy managers learned to craft OKRs that emphasized outcomes over outputs, focusing on the impact of activities rather than the activities themselves.
• Coaching for Effective Check-ins: Armed with new skills, strategy managers became effective internal coaches, guiding their teams through the OKR process with check-ins reinforcing alignment and accountability.
• Alignment with Company Priorities and Purpose: OKRs were aligned with the company’s top priorities and its overarching vision and operationalized purpose, ensuring that all efforts contributed meaningfully towards the company’s goals.
• User-centric Approach: A shift towards a more user-centric focus was achieved, aligning with the company’s purpose and ensuring that strategic efforts were directly connected to customer needs and market demands.
• Effective Division of Work: Strategy managers became adept at distinguishing between business as usual tasks, managed through KPIs, and future-directed work, guided by OKRs. This clarity improved strategic focus and resource allocation.