Part 2: Supercharge Your OKRs & Empower Your Remote Workforce

In part one of Supercharge Your OKRs & Empower Your Remote Workforce, we laid the foundation and detailed the business case of why OKRs provide significant value for remote work teams. In using John Doerr’s OKR methodology, and book Measure What Matters, we reference the four key Superpowers that help an enterprise:

1. Focus and Commit to Priorities
2. Stretch for Amazing
3. Align and Connect for Teamwork
4. Track for Accountability

While Align and Connect for Teamwork is a superpower, the ability to achieve this superpower is no small undertaking. In our latest webinar about OKRs for the remote workplace, we discussed how to Align and Connect for Teamwork by walking through Accelare’s OKR methodology and supporting platform solution. At this critical juncture, when so many teams are operating in the remote environment, but must remain productive, there has never been a more important time to supercharge your OKRs.

At the webinar we explored:

• The Power of OKRs: Aligning teams and engaging employees as it relates to strategic agenda.
• Employee Productivity Transformation: Using OKRs to refocus employee priorities in a remote workforce environment.
• Speed and Accuracy: Increasing the velocity towards on-time OKR completion by leveraging Accelare's NOW solution.

How do we align and connect for teamwork when we are remote?

First and foremost, many organizations realize their existing business model is not sustainable for long-term success. In fact, a recent poll shows that 67% of worldwide CEOs think their current business model is only sustainable for five years at most – and yet they struggle to identify how they will transform their 1.0 business model to the 2.0 business model. It’s important to note that this poll was taken well before the recent but dramatic shift to remote work teams. At this point in time, the issue of deploying a sustainable business model is only exacerbated by the current work environment.

What is the 1.0 Business Model that many CEOs think is facing extinction?

Most leadership teams and employees point to the organizational chart when communicating their business model. Visually, it’s easy to consume because it provides specific roles across the organization and includes a hierarchy from the CEO down. It effectively siloes responsibilities between business units so there is no confusion between who is expected to deliver what. When employees are asked about their role within the organization most will communicate what they do for the organization through a series of defined responsibilities that generally exist as part of their department’s or business unit’s responsibilities.

So why isn’t this sustainable as the business model of the future?

Simply stated, siloes between departments hinder the ability to align and connect for teamwork. While some level of cross-functional collaboration exists at most organizations, it’s not easy when departments have competing priorities and goals. In many instances, departments compete for valuable resources causing friction between parties. To make matters worse, when it’s clear there are not enough resources to go around, these valuable resources are given to the loudest voice in the room, regardless of whether that department’s goals provide the most value for the organization. When strategy does not easily flow across departments, and instead exists within departments, it is bound to fail.

What then, does the 2.0 business model look like?

The 2.0 business model provides an end-to-end viewpoint of how products or services are delivered to the customer. It leverages the concept first detailed in Michael Porter’s Value Chain framework to identify what we do for our customers. The 2.0 business model consists of capabilities that demonstrate the end-to-end process flow of value creation. Capabilities, defined as people conducting processes, supported by technology, give a clear picture on what is being achieved at each execution stage within the delivery model. At first glance, the most notable characteristic is that the model is a process flow, from left to right, as opposed to a hierarchy. This holistic viewpoint enables the CEO, management team, and employees to understand how value is generated and delivered to the customer. The structure of the process flow makes aligning and connecting for teamwork achievable.

How does the 2.0 model align and connect for teamwork when the 1.0 model does not?

When focusing on the business model from the customer’s perspective, there is a natural alignment around value creation for the customer. We focus on “developing solutions” or “facilitating care” instead of exclusively looking at department-level KPIs and goals that have been set by management. The 2.0 business model creates connective tissue between technology advances, end-to-end business processes, and stakeholder experiences. Once built, the organization’s strategy, set via OKRs, is more easily and effectively cascaded down and across (as opposed to just down) the organization. Teams can align around the desired outcomes that the organization has set out to achieve. It should also be noted that capability modeling works at the enterprise, business area, and large-scale project level.

So why is this important for remote work teams?

In the world of remote work, the difficulties around aligning and connecting for teamwork are intensified. When employees aren’t aligned around common business goals, in the form of OKRs, the ability to stay the course and remain productive becomes more difficult. OKRs, in the context of capability teams, are critical to achieving real results. When employees are aligned around objectives and have the supporting business model to execute the strategy, successful execution is within reach. Without the necessary business model design to support execution, employees continue to operate within their departments, maintaining siloes that hinder real strategic achievements.

Want to learn more?

We would love to hear from you! Our OKR methodology and supporting platform solution provide the blueprint for remote work teams to design, develop, and deploy OKRs both in and outside of the remote work environment. Whether you’re looking for an enterprise, department, or large-scale project solution, our methodology delivers results. Let’s connect to supercharge your OKRs and deliver significant performance breakthroughs!