When the global pandemic occurred, the onset essentially presented a challenging situation that was unprecedented.
For the first time, there was an experience that was universally shared by workers all around the world. There is a near-collective shift which occurred, wherein offices were uprooted and employees wound up transplanted to their homes instead. From being a perk offered to teams, remote work is now a requirement.
Work From Home
Many companies and organisations had to face several unique challenges that are still created to this day. Offices were seen as key parts to the basic operations of a company—which is a place where workers could coordinate projects daily and convene, getting questions answered through simply walking to the desk of their colleague. With this possibility snatched away, companies needed to act with strategic agility in order to adjust.
Luckily, transitioning to digital office space has been possible for many. There is a growing number in terms of utilisation of online team platforms as well as video conferencing, making it possible for companies in most industries to push forward with working.
It is part of what is known as the “new normal”, and employees across the globe have adjusted.
OKRs
A crucial helping hand in this situation are OKRs, which are objectives and key results laid out as a goal-setting methodology. This was developed by Andy Grove of Intel and is widely used by industry-leading companies like Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, Uber and more. It has quickly begun to shine as the gold standard of goal management. Structurally, it is quite simple yet rather effective.
OKRs are made up of objectives which are goals classified as inspirational, qualitative and time-bound, serving to direct a team, as well as key results—quantitative deliverables, used to measure the objective’s success.
For example: “Increase User Base” would be a solid objective, and corresponding key results that could possibly be a basis for measurement of the objective can include “increase the number of paid users from 6k to 12k”.
Companies that make the choice to utilise the methodology of OKRs are able to reap many benefits. There are five key benefits that are outlined by Intel alum John Doerr, who was the one that popularised the OKR framework in the first place. These key benefits are:
- Alignment
- Commitment
- Focus
- Stretching
- Tracking
Those benefits have become even more apparent when set in the context of the new normal given COVID-19. The OKR methodology doesn’t just organise companies; it forces them to adopt a pattern of goal prioritisation and evaluation. This becomes ingrained in the culture of the company, which produces solid, tangible results in turn.
Conclusion
The new normal has forced many employees to adjust to working from home, which was once a perk and now a necessity. The adjustment period has varied in certain aspects, but for the most part, everyone has adjusted since. Having the simple yet incredibly effective methodology of OKRs has helped companies navigate it in a clear direction.
Looking to grow your business in the new normal? Reach out to SKILLFIRE today! We help businesses focus on creating incredible customer outcomes by uplifting their leadership capability and aligning their people on what’s most important.