Setting organizational objectives for growth
By Ariane
[A]s we began thinking about their individual employee OKRs, we realized that it wasn’t enough to align employee goals to one of their three programs. The goal of setting OKRs is to ensure that employees are advancing the objectives of the organization as a whole. They would need to think beyond the programs they offer and return to the purpose of their organization.
One of the main goals of our consulting project was to help our clients align the individual goals of their employees with their organizational goals by helping them with the process of building strong Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). We began at the organizational level by clarifying the mission and vision, then we did the same for their three programs– solar panel installation, early childhood education, and professional training. Next, we drilled down tier by tier, establishing the activities and objectives for their three departments and ten teams, cross-referenced by program.
However, as we began thinking about their individual employee OKRs, we realized that it wasn’t enough to align employee goals to one of their three programs. The goal of setting OKRs is to ensure that employees are advancing the objectives of the organization as a whole. They would need to think beyond the programs they offer and return to the purpose of their organization. Why did they choose to pursue these three particular programs to accomplish their mission and vision? What objectives could they set this year as an organization that everyone in the company can contribute to?
In the end, they set three objectives at the organizational level that were not attached to any specific program. The first objective was to standardize their methodology to replicate their programs. The second was to build support systems that will strengthen their programs. Finally, their third objective was to validate their social business model of solar energy for rent and energy efficiency. Defining the outcomes they want to achieve in the next year made it easier for our clients to set quarterly goals for their departments and teams that work towards the larger organizational goals. As part of the executive team, they can think beyond running their programs and focus on achieving ambitious goals that will help the organization grow and scale.
Over the past few months, we have developed several resources and interactive tools to help our clients streamline their human resources operations and increase organizational productivity. They plan to implement their first set of OKRs in the second quarter of their fiscal year, using a dashboard to track and measure progress. This process enables them to efficiently manage and incentivize employee and volunteer performance, and report progress to donors at the end of each quarter to help with their fundraising efforts. We look forward to staying in touch with them and reading their quarterly reports to see the internal progress they are making within their organization, and the impact they are making externally on the community as they grow.