The increasing turbulence and uncertainty of the external environment led to an evolution of the strategy formation processes. The traditional planning modes, characterized by thorough, unalterable and forward-looking plans, are a utopia in the contemporary world. Hence, the research shifted towards increasingly flexible strategic models. The current pandemic crisis exacerbated these external conditions, requiring a higher responsiveness to firms, which had to adapt even their strategy-making. Moreover, in recent years, a framework for the strategic implementation, called Objectives and Key Results (OKR), has emerged and has been particularly adopted in dynamic contexts thanks to its flexibility. Scholars focused on the study of the effects generated by crises, on the related prescriptions to counter them and on the mapping of different reaction strategies. However, there are no approaches that guide organisations in the implementation of these prescriptions. Therefore, the study aims at understanding the role of OKR in the strategy formation process in crisis contexts. Due to the novelty of the subject, the research is based on an exploratory multiple-case study of two digital startups adopting the OKR methodology in the context of COVID-19. The results obtained suggest how OKR has been a fundamental in addressing crisis, thanks to its peculiarities that allowed organizations to be extremely responsive and not be unprepared to face particularly challenging situations. Indeed, in addition to the advantages in terms of internal coordination and alignment, OKR guarantees a culture oriented to innovation and learning, the reduction of uncertainty, the agility and prioritization, extremely useful in threatening situations. This study can benefit both theory and practice, extending the extant theory on strategy formation in times of crisis through the use of OKR, and suggesting to practitioners a process for the implementation of the tool, including the main steps aimed at building resilience during times of crisis.
L’aumento della turbolenza e dell’incertezza dell’ambiente esterno hanno portato ad un’evoluzione dei processi di formazione strategica. I tradizionali modelli di planning, caratterizzati da piani dettagliati, inalterabili e lungimiranti, sono un’utopia nel mondo contemporaneo. Quindi, la ricerca si è spostata verso modelli strategici sempre più flessibili. L’attuale crisi pandemica ha accentuato tali condizioni esterne, richiedendo una maggiore reattività da parte delle aziende, che hanno dovuto adattare anche il loro modo di fare strategia. Inoltre, negli ultimi anni è emerso un framework per l’implementazione strategica, denominato Objectives and Key Results (OKR), particolarmente adottato in contesti dinamici grazie alla sua flessibilità. Gli studiosi si sono focalizzati sullo studio degli effetti generati dalle crisi, su relative prescrizioni per contrastarli e sulla mappatura di diverse strategie di reazione. Tuttavia, non esistono approcci che guidino le organizzazioni nel mettere in pratica queste prescrizioni. Per questo motivo, lo studio è finalizzato a comprendere il ruolo di OKR nel processo di formazione strategica in contesti di crisi. Data la novità dell’argomento, la ricerca si basa su uno studio esplorativo di molteplici casi, in particolare di due startup digitali che adottano la metodologia OKR nel contesto del COVID-19. I risultati ottenuti suggeriscono come OKR sia stato fondamentale nell’affrontare la crisi, grazie alle sue peculiarità che hanno permesso alle organizzazioni di essere estremamente reattive e non risultare impreparate nell’affrontare situazioni particolarmente sfidanti. Infatti, oltre ai vantaggi in termini di coordinamento e allineamento interni, OKR ha garantito una cultura volta all’innovazione e all’apprendimento, la riduzione dell’incertezza, agilità e prioritizzazione, estremamente utili in situazioni di criticità. Lo studio porta benefici sia dal punto di vista teorico che pratico, estendendo la teoria esistente sulla formazione strategica in tempi di crisi attraverso l’utilizzo di OKR, e suggerendo ai praticanti un processo per l’implementazione di OKR, costituito dai principali step volti alla costruzione di resilienza durante periodi di crisi.
OKR : a strategy formation model to build resilience during crises
VITALI, CAMILLA;VIGONI, SILVIA FRANCESCA
2019/2020
Abstract
The increasing turbulence and uncertainty of the external environment led to an evolution of the strategy formation processes. The traditional planning modes, characterized by thorough, unalterable and forward-looking plans, are a utopia in the contemporary world. Hence, the research shifted towards increasingly flexible strategic models. The current pandemic crisis exacerbated these external conditions, requiring a higher responsiveness to firms, which had to adapt even their strategy-making. Moreover, in recent years, a framework for the strategic implementation, called Objectives and Key Results (OKR), has emerged and has been particularly adopted in dynamic contexts thanks to its flexibility. Scholars focused on the study of the effects generated by crises, on the related prescriptions to counter them and on the mapping of different reaction strategies. However, there are no approaches that guide organisations in the implementation of these prescriptions. Therefore, the study aims at understanding the role of OKR in the strategy formation process in crisis contexts. Due to the novelty of the subject, the research is based on an exploratory multiple-case study of two digital startups adopting the OKR methodology in the context of COVID-19. The results obtained suggest how OKR has been a fundamental in addressing crisis, thanks to its peculiarities that allowed organizations to be extremely responsive and not be unprepared to face particularly challenging situations. Indeed, in addition to the advantages in terms of internal coordination and alignment, OKR guarantees a culture oriented to innovation and learning, the reduction of uncertainty, the agility and prioritization, extremely useful in threatening situations. This study can benefit both theory and practice, extending the extant theory on strategy formation in times of crisis through the use of OKR, and suggesting to practitioners a process for the implementation of the tool, including the main steps aimed at building resilience during times of crisis.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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Dissertation Vigoni-Vitali.pdf
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/175331