What was the challenge?​

The overall problem to solve was to develop an interface between strategy planning and execution or how can we engage the whole organization in realizing the long-term plans. Once we identified the OKR framework as a good practice that should suite us the challenge was to engage all leaders. 

The OKR framework was new to many, and it takes some training and quarterly cycles to see the effect of OKRs. The OKR framework is challenging, especially when it comes to the goal setting formula looking for outcome rather than output. The leadership stance is also central to cater for a bottom-up, engaging team process rather than a top-down rippling goal setting process. We needed guidance through this implementation process. ​

What was the solution?​

From the beginning of this initiative, we had some strong principles to guide us. Key was to focus on the team process and to give our leaders the right tools for how to engage everyone in realizing the strategy and overall goals. Together with Doings  we invested in a roadmap of leadership trainings, individual team lead coaching sessions and co-facilitation of team OKR workshops.

The first part of leadership trainings we called “the hardware” of the system. Here we learned about the OKR basic formula and why the difference between output and outcome is important when it comes to OKRs. The second part was “the software” part. Guided by our principle of having focus on the team process and how to set the stage as leader, we took off from the theory of Psychological Safety. How to frame the OKR workshop, invite to participation and how to respond productively was some of the concrete practices that our leaders developed.​
​

What was the result?​

• A couple of quarterly cycles after training and​implementation we have all our teams within the OKR​
• We are still learning how to carve out great​objective statements and how project plans spanning overseveral quarters can go well together with OKRs.
• We are going​ from top-down company goals to top-down company goals​ andbottom-up team goals and how to follow-up on them every quarter.​
• In the end the whole initiative has reinforced our culture of​team engagement and learning!​

​

Excillum– is the company behind the world’s brightest X-ray tube and is a global leader in the field of advanced X-ray sources. Excillum’s mission is to improve and enable new science, by redefining the X-ray tube. Excillum’s customers are mainly in the semiconductor, automotive, aviation and pharmaceutical industries.