Table 1

Overview of the definitions of OKRs

AuthorsDefinitionEmphasis
Niven & Lamorte (2016) “OKRs is a critical thinking framework and ongoing discipline that seeks to ensure employees work together, focusing their efforts to make measurable contributions that drive the company forward” (p. 6)
  • Long-term perspective

  • Collaboration

  • Focus

Doerr (2018) “It is a collaborative goal-setting protocol for companies, teams and individuals” (p. 18)
  • Collaboration

  • Goal setting

Gothelf (2020) “OKRs have become one of the most popular frameworks for teams looking to plan and measure the success of their work” (p. 1)
  • Reduction to teamwork

Al Thinyan et al. (2022) “OKR comprise a goal-setting framework that helps companies establish ‘objectives’ along with the measurable ‘key results’ that support the achievement of each objective” (p. 177)
  • Goal setting

  • Measurability

Wirl & Luge (2022) “[OKRs are] a framework that not just helps to execute strategies in both ways—top-down and bottom-up—and to get better results, but also requires a new culture of leadership and collaboration” (p. 128)
  • Strategy execution

  • Cultural shift in leadership

  • Collaboration

Source(s): Author’s own work

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