Leadership & Management

What is OKR?

Q: What is OKR?

OKR (Objectives and Key Results) is a goal-setting and tracking system that connects company strategy to the work of teams. Each Objective is a qualitative, inspiring direction; the Key Results are quantitative measures that say whether the company is getting there. It became famous through Google, but it was created by Andy Grove at Intel in the 1970s.

OKR (Objectives and Key Results) is a goal-setting and tracking system that connects company strategy to the work of teams. Each Objective is a qualitative, inspiring direction; the Key Results are quantitative measures that say whether the company is getting there. It became famous through Google, but it was created by Andy Grove at Intel in the 1970s.

In practice

An organization that uses OKRs defines 3 to 5 Objectives per cycle (usually quarterly), each with 3 to 5 measurable Key Results. Teams cascade their own OKRs aligned to the company's — not through blind top-down cascading, but through conversation. Biweekly or monthly check-ins track progress, and the cycle closes with an honest review: what we learned about what matters, not just what we hit. K21's OKR Leadership course teaches how to build and run OKRs that create focus and alignment — not just another quarterly spreadsheet full of broken promises.

What happens when it is missing

Without a connected goal system, every area chases its own priority and the company's combined effort cancels itself out. Teams ship a lot, but strategy does not move. When OKRs are badly implemented — as bonus targets, with vague KRs, or with no real review — they become quarterly bureaucracy nobody respects, hurting more than helping. The typical symptom is "a lot happening, nothing changing".