The cascading goal-setting approach in larger organizations, as discussed in "Measure What Matters", can impact agility and flexibility negatively. This approach tends to block input from frontline employees and prevents horizontal connections across departmental lines. It can lead to a loss of agility, as each level waits for the waterfall to trickle down from above, and a loss of flexibility, as those downstream scramble to keep up with changes coming from on high.

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At larger organizations in particular, goal-setting tends to cascade downwards from the executives to the rest of the staff. This can lead to a loss of agility, as each level waits for the waterfall to trickle down from above; and a loss of flexibility, as those downstream scramble to keep up with changes coming from on high. Cascading can block input from frontline employees, and it prevents horizontal connections across departmental lines.

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Measure What Matters

Expounding upon our recent Objectives & Key Results presentation, we bring you more insights on how OKR has helped world-renowned corporations and org...

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