OKR's: The Path Towards Intentional Obscurity
Keegan Steyn
Executive Head of Adviser Enablement | PhD Candidate | AI Optimist | Part-Time Lecturer
Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) have gained significant traction as a framework for driving alignment, focus, and measurable progress within organisations. Popularised by companies like Intel and Google, OKRs provide a structured method where ambitious objectives are defined, and success is measured through specific key results. However, the rapid adoption of OKRs risks reducing them to renamed scorecards if not implemented with a grasp of the underlying principles. As someone who has observed and participated in numerous attempts to flesh out OKRs within teams, I have experienced firsthand the challenges and misconceptions surrounding this framework. This reflection prompted me to share some of my insights around the underlying principles that make OKRs effective and to share insights that may assist others on this journey.
The Essence of Intentional Obscurity in OKRs
A critical but often overlooked aspect of OKRs is the balance between specificity and flexibility, known as Intentional Obscurity. This concept suggests that effective objectives should include both intention (clear focus) and obscurity (strategic ambiguity). This balance ensures that while Key Results (KRs) remain measurable, they do not dictate specific initiatives, thus avoiding limiting conditions and fostering adaptive movement towards achieving your objectives. This is why OKR's, has become synonymous with Agility, because of its alignment with the underlying principles.
Many people struggle to understand that this balance—Intentional Obscurity—is what makes a good objective. This realisation came to me during a conversation with a friend about a business unit trying to articulate their OKRs. Although my friend had been trained in OKRs, the concept only clicked when I explained the idea of Intentional Obscurity.
Insight: In practice, I've seen how overly prescriptive objectives can stifle creativity and limit potential solutions. Intentional Obscurity, by contrast, empowers teams to explore diverse pathways to success while maintaining focus.
Integrating Intentional Obscurity into OKRs
Objectives should inherently embody Intentional Obscurity, combining clear intent with strategic ambiguity. This allows teams to explore diverse pathways to success while maintaining a focused direction.
Key Results should be specific and measurable, offering stretch metrics that challenge teams. However, they should not include specific initiatives, ensuring flexibility to pivot based on real-time feedback and changing circumstances.
Initiatives are the actions taken to achieve the KRs. While there may be multiple initiatives, their success depends on continuous evaluation and the willingness to adapt or pivot based on performance.
Insight: While working on OKRs, I found that separating initiatives from KRs provides the freedom to experiment and pivot when necessary. This flexibility is crucial for sustaining momentum and achieving long-term success.
Example: Intentional Obscurity in Practice
Objective: Improve the customer support experience to enhance satisfaction and retention.
Key Results:
Initiatives:
Key Result 1:
Key Result 2:
Key Result 3:
Key Result 4:
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Insight: I’ve witnessed the power of clearly defined KRs driving progress while enabling adaptability through initiatives. This approach allows the teams to remain agile and responsive to feedback. In one project, we set a KR to improve customer satisfaction without specifying how. This openness allowed the team to try multiple initiatives, from new feedback mechanisms to support system overhauls. When one approach didn't work, the team quickly pivoted, ultimately achieving the KR by exploring various innovative solutions. This adaptability is for me the essence of why OKR's are so powerful, they help in navigating unexpected challenges and seizing new opportunities.
OKRs vs. Business as Usual
A key distinction highlighted in discussions on OKRs is the need to move beyond "business as usual" (BAU). OKRs should drive meaningful change and not merely reflect routine tasks. As emphasised in the What Matters series, OKRs are not "the sum of all tasks" but describe what needs to change. This reinforces the necessity of setting objectives that stretch beyond current operations and drive innovation and growth (What Matters).
Insight: Distinguishing OKRs from BAU has been pivotal in ensuring that the goals set are truly transformative. This mindset shift helps teams focus on strategic objectives rather than getting bogged down by daily operations. Remember that people will revert to known strategies when confronted with uncertainty. Emphasizing the transformative nature of OKRs helps guide teams through this initial discomfort and into innovative solutions.
The OKR Cycle
The OKR cycle involves several key phases: defining strategic vision and goals, aligning objectives and key results, planning initiatives, and conducting regular check-ins and reviews. This structured approach ensures that objectives remain relevant and aligned with the broader strategic vision, while key results provide measurable milestones.
Leaders play a crucial role not only in creating vision and goals but also in guiding teams through the OKR cycle. However, it’s important for leaders to adopt a facilitative approach to discussions rather than solve problems for the team. By allowing team members to build the path together, leaders foster a sense of ownership and collaboration. This approach not only empowers the team but also enhances their problem-solving skills and adaptability.
Insight The cyclical nature of OKRs fosters a rhythm of reflection and recalibration. This iterative process has taught me the value of consistent review and alignment, enabling teams to stay on track and adapt to evolving circumstances.
The Quarterly OKR Cycle
The quarterly OKR cycle is essential for maintaining focus and agility. The cycle typically involves the following steps:
Continuous Review Process:
This structured approach ensures that teams remain aligned with the overarching company objectives while allowing for necessary adjustments based on performance data and feedback.
Insight: Regular reviews and adjustments are crucial for the success of OKRs. This cyclical process ensures that teams remain aligned with company goals while being able to pivot based on performance and feedback
Conclusion
OKRs hold significant potential for driving organisational performance, but their effectiveness hinges on a nuanced understanding and application. By incorporating Intentional Obscurity into OKRs, organisations can achieve a balance between focus and flexibility, unlocking greater creativity, autonomy, and adaptability within their teams. This approach aligns with Lean and Agile principles, equipping organisations to thrive in an increasingly complex and dynamic business landscape.
Leaders must recognise that well-crafted objectives should inherently include Intentional Obscurity. This strategic balance ensures that while the direction is clear, the pathways to success remain open to exploration and innovation, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability.
Insight: Embracing Intentional Obscurity in OKRs has been a game-changer. It allows for clarity in objectives while providing the flexibility needed for teams to innovate and adapt. This balance is essential for sustaining momentum and achieving long-term success.
Non-exec Director, Business Leader, Futurist, Creator
8 个月Great article Keegan Steyn. On reflection I have had teams where we have had to “structure” out effort in this manner (but not call that out) in order to embrace the uncertainty and often ambiguity of the objectives while being rewarded through distinct and measurable metrics. The OKR, targets and measures are supposed to motivate from the start in as much as they are used at the end to measure outcomes. So, key in the process is too allow the artful planning of the effort so that the work is actually motivational even though the journey may be arduous and ambiguous. Being able to value and identify insights (sometimes for adjacent areas of the corporate organisation) and to report those at the quarterly or mid-year points so that they are used effectively, is essential. It also requires introspective and visionary leadership that is able to look beyond personal (sometimes egoistic) biases to retract certain commitments in favour of those uncovered in the process of working in obscurity. How prescriptive the OKR, initiatives, metrics and plans are, is also dependent on the nature of the specific work that a team or unit has to perform. For example just handling administrative customer queries versus R&D or AI.