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One of the most common criticisms I hear about OKRs is:
“Our company doesn’t have a clear strategy yet. Let’s sort that out first and then think about OKRs.”
After participating in OKR adoption at organizations of different sizes, I arrived at a different conclusion.
The perfect strategy is not a prerequisite for OKR success.
In fact, in one of the largest rollouts I participated in, this became quite evident.
A Real Case
I worked on OKR adoption at a large technology company involving more than 1,800 employees.
The organization lived an almost bipolar behavior from a strategic standpoint.
In the institutional narrative, the message was clear.
We need to transform the company. We need to be more agile. We need to innovate. We need to think long-term.
In practice, however, the daily pressure was different.
More revenue. More margin. More speed. More financial results. Always more.
This apparent contradiction could have been interpreted as an obstacle to OKR adoption.
But exactly the opposite happened.
The rollout was a success.
The False Premise
There is a belief that OKRs only work in companies that have a mature, well-documented strategy that is perfectly understood by everyone.
This idea stems from a limited view of the role of OKRs.
If we see OKRs only as a goal-setting system, that concern even makes sense.
But they are much more than that.
OKRs Are an Organizational Articulation System
An organization rarely has a single strategy.
There are shareholder interests. Commercial demands. Operational needs. Innovation projects. Regulatory pressures. Short-term objectives. Long-term ambitions.
OKRs create a mechanism for these different forces to communicate with each other.
They promote alignment. Create transparency. Expose priority conflicts. Stimulate negotiations between departments. Make explicit decisions that previously happened only behind the scenes.
That is why, more than a goal governance system, OKRs function as an organizational articulation system.
People Understand More Than We Think
There is another quite common assumption.
The idea that employees do not know the company’s strategy and therefore would not be able to create good OKRs.
My experience shows exactly the opposite.
Even when the formal strategy has gaps, people can typically perceive:
- which problems really matter;
- which customers need more attention;
- where the bottlenecks are;
- which processes waste energy;
- which opportunities generate the most value.
Those closest to the work tend to develop a very refined perception of organizational reality.
OKRs create a space for this knowledge to stop being individual and start guiding collective decisions.
The True Critical Success Factor
If there is one element that needs to be consistent, it is not the strategy.
It is governance.
Good governance establishes:
- predictable cadences;
- clear criteria for defining OKRs;
- periodic follow-up;
- priority review;
- continuous learning.
Without this discipline, OKRs quickly become a list of forgotten intentions.
Engagement Is as Important as Governance
Another frequently neglected aspect is the emotional component of adoption.
Implementing OKRs does not mean just teaching a technique.
It means changing behaviors.
And people change when they see meaning in the effort.
One of the most effective practices I have experienced was holding a cadence dedicated to closing OKR cycles.
It was not just a meeting to present indicators.
It was a moment of recognition.
Teams shared learnings. Celebrated results. Showed experiments. Acknowledged relevant contributions. Good practices gained visibility.
Success stopped being the asset of a single department and began to inspire the entire organization.
This kind of ritual strengthens the sense of belonging and reinforces desired behaviors far more effectively than any presentation about methodology.
Recognize Those Who Build the Future
Organizations naturally reward those who deliver financial results.
That is expected.
But during an organizational transformation, it is also important to recognize those who help build capabilities for the future.
Teams that collaborate. That share knowledge. That learn quickly. That experiment with new approaches. That generate sustainable impact.
When these behaviors begin to receive institutional visibility, OKR adoption stops depending only on leadership pressure and starts being driven by the organizational environment itself.
Conclusion
Waiting for the company’s strategy to be perfect before starting an OKR journey can mean waiting indefinitely.
Companies are living organisms. Strategies evolve. Priorities change. Markets transform.
OKRs do not require a perfect organization to work.
They help precisely to create more alignment, transparency, and coordination in complex and ambiguous environments.
The decisive factor is not having an impeccable strategy.
It is building consistent governance, creating cadences that sustain execution, and developing recognition mechanisms that make people want to participate in the transformation.