How can OKRs help in Change Management?

Every organization has its ups and downs but what remains constant is change. It happens in different sectors of a business. However, some organizations have tried to develop strategies to adapt to this inevitable factor. One of them is using OKRs to facilitate change management, ensuring a company sticks to its mission and goals. 

What is Change Management?

Change Management is described as a systematic process used by companies with structures, activities, and projects to monitor and direct changes in a business framework. Changes could occur for many reasons, and using this management technique as a response is reasonable. 

Why Do Organizations Need to Manage Change?

Change Management is important for many reasons. This technique will help a business enterprise remain focused on goals in an organization with change processes. It will activate all available skills to respond to the new development, ensuring proper management of employees and infrastructure. 

Benefits of a Change Management system

The benefits of a Change Management system are embedded in its aim. 

First, it will help organizations have well-defined goals. 

Secondly, it allows companies to measure success using accurate metrics or parameters. 

Thirdly, the Change Management system facilitates transparency and accountability through regular tracking. 

In short, the framework helps companies re-visit their short-term goals so that employers and employees can develop new strategies to meet their long-term goals. 

Reasons Why the Change Management System Might Fail Without OKRs?

An important ingredient for a Change Management System to work is the OKR. If the objectives and key results are not clearly defined, such a system is bound to fail. Here are the reasons why: 

• A change management system without an OKR is a framework without direction. If there are change processes, there is limited or zero ability to stop, re-strategize, or pivot in a new direction. In the end, it fails. 

• Ideally, companies make hypothetical goals – do this to achieve this. If there are challenges along the way due to change processes, it is expected that employees can remain focused with the OKR clearly stated. However, if it isn’t, there is a lack of direction that would disrupt a brand’s general mission. 

• People are not the only factors to consider in the smooth running of a company’s operation. OKRs are also consequential because comprehensive goal-setting depends on them. If a company decides to adopt a change management model with people (without an OKR), meeting the expectations of change processes would be difficult. 

How OKRs Provide Help in Change Management with Steps?

Change agents are individuals tasked with developing and implementing strategies as responses to change processes. They use OKRs to complement this effort. According to John Kotter, there is an 8-step model that OKR can use to help change management. They include: 

1. Creating a sense of urgency – through a short-term adjustment for long-term goals.
2. Assigning leading guides – starting from senior leadership.
3. Stating clearly defined goals, mission, and working strategies.
4. Discussing OKR goals effectively and establishing a transparent system. 
5. Focusing on team empowerment and removing obstacles on the way.
6. Reviewing short-term successes.
7. Working on the changing system through vertical and horizontal alignment.
8. Keeping an open work culture regardless of the change.   

How OKRs Make the Change Management System Effective & Efficient?

OKR is a strategy and execution methodology that can make a change management system effective and efficient. It outlines a clear roadmap for employees to follow while promoting good work culture and ensuring alignment to outcome-based results. 

So, in short, OKRs do two things: 

• It facilitates alignment and maximizes performance even with a changing system. 
• It provides measurable and transparent parameters that organizations can use to review long-term goals from short-term successes. 

Why Asking Questions & Giving Feedback is Important in Change Management?

Communication is a core part of OKR because it builds trust and transparency. And seeing how much OKRs are involved in the change management system, communication also plays a role. Asking questions and giving feedback are significant ways of establishing effective/authentic communication. They will help in the clear defining of vision and redeveloping of a company’s objectives. 

Conclusion 

OKR software plays an active role in change management. A perfect example of such software is Huminos. It guarantees impactful results in a workplace by helping employers and employees focus on growth and alignment. It also helps them maintain effective communication and constantly measures team performance.  

As Huminos aligns OKRs with change management, growth is inevitable.