OKR Unconference -
Keynote Speaker . March 2023

Context

The OKR Unconference convenes practitioners, leaders, and researchers to explore real-world applications of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) in complex organizations. The 2023 event was hosted at ZHAW in Zurich, Switzerland.

The Challenge

Many organizations adopt OKRs with high expectations, but struggle to make them effective in practice — particularly in large, mission-driven, or matrixed environments. Common challenges include misalignment, over-engineering, and a disconnect between strategy and day-to-day execution.

My Role

Keynote Speaker, sharing practitioner experience from large-scale organizational settings.

What I Did

• Delivered a keynote drawing on experience implementing OKRs within a complex global organization

• Examined common pitfalls and unintended consequences of OKR adoption

• Shared practical lessons on using OKRs to improve alignment, focus, and delivery — rather than compliance

• Engaged participants in discussion about adapting OKRs to real organizational constraints

Outcome / Impact

• Positioned OKRs as a tool for strategic execution, not performance theater

• Contributed practitioner insight to an international community of OKR leaders and implementers

• Supported more grounded, context-aware approaches to OKR adoption in complex organizations