The business world is facing unprecedented shocks: A global pandemic has reshaped industries, generative AI is disrupting innovation, and geopolitical changes are altering competitiveness.
In the face of these disruptions, a challenge arises: if organizations fail to adapt and better execute their strategy, they risk experiencing the same fate as once-illustrious names like Kodak or Nokia. And it is a fact that In reality, strategy and execution remain too often disconnected…
Executing the strategy is not a «must», but a survival skill that becomes a growth skill if it is well mastered. Succeeding in aligning strategy with execution becomes THE key performance factor for the company.
The report Global State of Strategy Execution, directed by OKR Mentors, the result of 18 months of research and analysis among more than 200 organizations in 30 countries, reveals not only the state of maturity in the strategic execution of companies in 2025, but also offers a Practical roadmap inspired by global leaders.
Here are the lessons and advice that can be drawn from them, supported by concrete testimonies from companies collected during an OKR Mentors webinar in October 2025.
Strategic execution: a measurable competitive advantage
The study, which assesses the maturity of organizations according to the Global Strategy Execution Maturity Index (GSEMI™) on a 100-point scale, paints a clear picture: Excellence is rare, but it pays off!
The average score for strategic maturity is 63,5/100. This means that there is a vast area of improvement for the majority of companies. Only 11 % Organizations reach the maturity of «Strategy Execution Leader» (GSEMI ≥ 85).
The figures concerning these leading organizations are striking and prove the Direct correlation between quality strategic execution and superior commercial performance :
- The possibility of exceeding the growth of their sector increases. 83 %.
- 57 % Some of them exceed their financial targets with strong growth.
As it is emphasized Elie Casamitjana, CEO & Founder of OKR Mentors :
« These results prove the correlation between good strategic execution and better business performance. This is very encouraging for strategy and transformation leaders, as it shows the advantage of investing in improving systems and the way the organization executes its strategies. »
Investment in execution systems is therefore not theoretical; it generates measurable returns.
The 5 dimensions of good strategic execution
The study analyzes strategic execution through 5 key dimensions Issues from the SEM360™ OKR Mentors:
- Align (Align) : ensure that the priorities are clear and shared.
- Execute (Execute) : translate the plans into actions with clarity of roles and cadence.
- Improve (Improve) : building a culture of reflection and continuous learning.
- Scaling up (Scale) : enable growth through repeatable systems and evolutionary processes.
- Accountability (Empower) : encourage autonomy and data-based decision-making.
While alignment is the strongest dimension globally (average of 75,4), the smallest dimensions are the scale (Scale, 58,1) and the improvement (Improve, 60,6). This indicates that the difficulty lies in the ability to replicate and adapt good practices across the enterprise.
Companies leading in strategic execution outperform their peers by +20 to +30 points Across all dimensions, with the largest differences observed in the execution cadence (+27.3), the learning loops (+28.5) and the scaling (+30.5).
The strategic alignment: from communication to orchestration
The high level of alignment in this report can create false confidence. It is easy for leading organizations to communicate a strategic vision and assume that the work is done… However, Real alignment requires moving from intellectual understanding to physical integration into daily systems and rhythms..
Manish Gupta, Director Strategy, Planning & Ops at Intuit, highlights this crucial concept:
« Alignment is necessary, but not enough… I think the real challenge is orchestration. You can be aligned, coordinated, but not orchestrated. The true orchestration is seen in the decisions, the allocation of resources, and the concrete objectives linked to measurable results. »
The orchestration ensures that the financial, technical and operational systems are built so that a business strategy becomes a measurable and prioritized reality.
Moving from vision to execution of the strategic plan: overcoming human constraints
Difficulties in strategic execution almost never stem from a simple lack of knowledge. Visible signs—such as the multiplication of priorities or fatigue related to transformations—often conceal the underlying causes. more profound causes: contradictory injunctions, a lack of courage to make difficult choices, or a fear of speaking out to question or report a failure.
Elie Casamitjana summarizes this reality of change and the necessary humility: « Everything that has enabled us to succeed until today is what now prevents us. ». For organizations that have succeeded, thinking they know everything prevents them from being curious, experimenting, and learning from failure.
To remedy this, we need to:
- Clarify Define the raison d’être, the strategy and a small number of priorities that require real tradeoffs.
- Involve early Shared understanding reduces defenses later on.
- Rewarding learning and collective results rather than individual production alone.
- Modeling humility Recognizing what we don’t know, normalizing learning, valuing intelligent failures, being able to unlearn (unlearn) and learn new things.
- Promote transparency and simple governance, where decisions are visible and justifiable.
This process requires courage. It is essential to‘establish measures and incentives that reward learning and organizational results’, and not the simple individual production.
Strategic deployment quiz
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Discipline and agility: the paradox of effective strategic execution
The report’s counterintuitive finding: large companies, which are more institutionalized and structured, tend to outperform smaller, seemingly more agile organizations in terms of strategic execution. This calls into question the belief that pure flexibility is synonymous with better adaptation.
Agility without discipline leads to chaos. The secret is not to choose between discipline and flexibility, but to combine disciplined execution systems with the ability to pivot precisely. Discipline creates the scaffolding that allows for a rapid change of direction without chaos.
Lola Planas, Operations Excellence Leader at Givaudan, This is evidenced by:
«In business, Agility without discipline is chaos, but conversely, discipline without openness risks being ineffective.. For a large organization like Givaudan, however, quality systems and the orchestration of the logistics chain are essential to adapt to long-term market changes, even if this may seem slow on a daily basis.»
The 3 key practices of leading organizations in strategic execution
- Regular target speeds: Work in 3- to 4-month cycles (quarters) to maintain a realistic scope and revise/adapt the objectives regularly.
- Frequent check-ins: Weekly or bi-weekly magazines are a key differentiator. Leading organizations are 3.5 times more likely to keep them than their peers (96% vs 27%).
- Systematic retrospectives: These learning loops ensure that lessons are integrated and outdated goals are abandoned. Leading companies are 2.2 times more likely to conduct structured retrospectives after each cycle.
Improvement rests on this discipline and humility. Jeff Gothelf, founder of Sense & Respond Learning, He emphasizes the role of continuous reflection:
« Improvement can only come from humility. Companies that are able to take a step back from their past actions, identify what worked well and what failed in their execution, and then use those lessons to adjust their goals and realign their teams toward better results, are those that have the best chance of succeeding in a world in constant change.»
The leading companies are indeed 3.5 times They are more likely than their peers to quickly abandon outdated strategies.
Generative AI, amplifier of strategic deployment
Artificial intelligence offers a Huge potential for analyzing, automating, and supporting decision-making. But it acts primarily as a amplifier It accelerates what already exists, whether it is good or bad. If systems, processes, or culture are flawed, AI will only amplify the confusion; if teams are excellent, it will multiply their impact.
Elie Casamitjana sums up this paradox well: « AI is like a very powerful engine: if you don’t know how to drive, you’ll just cause more accidents faster.. »
Lola Planas adds:« If you are destined to fail today and you add AI, it will amplify that failure. If you are mediocre, you will be even more mediocre. If you are excellent, AI will accentuate your excellence. »
Use generative AI as a co-pilot, not as a pilot To synthesize data, identify risks, outline objectives and automate low-value tasks. But Never delegate the human judgment: it is he who keeps the direction and ensures that technology remains at the service of the strategy.
OKR: the multiplier for achieving strategic objectives
OKR are a management method which allows to set the clear and inspiring goals (Objectives) then some Measurable key results (Key Results) to track the progress towards the goal. They aim to align the entire organization on the key priorities, engage the teams and drive the execution of the strategy.
The OKR method has been adopted by 40 % companies surveyed in the report, and by 47 % leading organizations.
The report confirms a crucial point: OKR are effective only when they are integrated into disciplined execution systems and regular operational rhythms.. Applied individually, their impact is limited.
When the OKR method is well integrated, it adds an average of more than 15 points of maturity. OKRs are used to translate the strategy into quarterly cycles, reinforced by frequent check-ins and adjusted if necessary, thus acting as a multiplier clarity and accountability.
Key lessons from the strategic performance report
- The maturity of execution is the best predictor of strategic performance… and it learns!
- The’strategic alignment It has impact only if it translates into measurable systems, decisions and results.
- The human factors (incentives, courage, psychological security) underpin the strategic deployment.
- The disciplined rhythm is the basis of a sustainable agility.
- The’Generative AI It is very powerful, but must remain a co-pilot, not replacing the human.
- The OKR method It can enable the strategic plan to be deployed more quickly.
Strategic execution in 5 questions and answers
1. What is strategic execution?
Strategic execution is the ability of a company to transform its vision into concrete and measurable actions. It connects strategy, teams, and systems to generate sustainable performance and competitive advantage.
2. What are the 5 dimensions of a successful strategic execution?
1️⃣ Aligning priorities
2️⃣ Execute with clarity
3️⃣ Continuously improve
4️⃣ Scaling up good practices
5️⃣ Holding teams accountable
These dimensions structure the discipline and agility necessary for performance.
3. Why do OKRs promote good strategic execution?
The OKR method (Objectives & Key Results) allows the strategy to be translated into clear and measurable objectives. Integrated into regular execution rhythms (check-ins, retrospectives), OKRs increase strategic maturity and promote team accountability.
4. What role can generative AI play in strategic execution?
Artificial intelligence acts like an amplifier… positive or negative. If the systems and culture are solid, it accelerates performance. Otherwise, it amplifies dysfunction. Therefore, generative AI must be a co-pilot, not a pilot, to support human decision-making and improve strategy.
5. How can a company progress towards strategic excellence?
Strategic excellence is not innate: Strategic execution maturity, the key to the organization’s sustainable performance, is achievable.
It is not a question of size or sector of activity, but of Good practices for turning vision into sustainable performance :
- by cultivating humility, transparency and continuous learning for more relevant and shared strategic choices,
- by establishing a discipline in the application of consistent routines to transform intention into actions with added value,
- by engaging the teams with Concrete metrics based on results which serve the transformation of the company,
- by relying on OKR method, which will have an even more powerful impact if the method is adapted to your context,
- by regularly measuring its maturity using tools such as the Strategy Execution Maturity 360™…